


A Battle With Hope

by TheLoonyMarauder



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Gay Male Character, Gay Newt, Gay Thomas, In the Maze, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Pre-The Maze Runner, The Maze Runner Spoilers, newtmas - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:16:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 21,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6383584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLoonyMarauder/pseuds/TheLoonyMarauder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of Newt.<br/>Newt had decided it was hopeless, they were never going to get out of the maze, so what was the point in living? This was no way to live- fear and anxiety crippling every single moment. So Newt did the only thing he could do, he jumped from the maze wall, hoping to end it all. Hoping to finally find a moment of peace. But something he didn't plan happened, he survived. He survived his jump from the wall, left with only one option, to keep living in the maze.</p><p>  For a year Newt kept living, taking it day by day, slowly gaining more strength, slowly beginning to feel that while life sucked, maybe, just maybe, it was worth sticking around for. A year after his suicide attempt, the elevator-like box continued it's pattern, bringing with it the new Greenie of the month, the new victim to the maze. A boy. Thomas. And there was something about this boy that Newt couldn't quite put his finger on. Something intriguing... something.... attractive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Hope Left To Cling To

The boy held on tightly to the ivy that attached him to the wall, the thin chain of vines that were the only thing keeping him from falling metres to impending death. He looked at his wristwatch, one hour until the doors to the Glade began to close. He was right on schedule. Timing was everything. He knew that he had left it late enough that there was no chance of any of the other Gladers finding his body before the grievers came and took it away. He had thought this through carefully, if the grievers took his body away, the other Gladers would never know that he wasn't strong enough, never know that he was weak, that he would rather die than live another moment in this hell hole. They would simply believe that he was another one of their clan lost to the maze, killed by the vicious creatures that lived inside its walls.

For a whole year he'd lived here in the maze with the other boys, a new victim joining them each month. Every month like clockwork, a new boy appeared in the elevator-like box in the middle of their clearing, no memories but that of a name, just like the rest of them. 

The boy on the wall supposed he'd been lucky, he was one of the very first. Sent up with 29 other boys, the only ones to be sent up together, waking up confused and distraught, but at least they were all going through it together. For a whole year the boys spent their days trying to set up some sort of community, order and the boy supposed they had succeeded. They had meat, raising livestock in the farm they had set up in one corner of their clearing. They had a shelter to sleep in, they were growing fresh food, vegetables and fruits. They had a leader and a committee, there was order and peace. But there was one thing the boys didn't have, something that they craved most desperately- their freedom. With no idea who had sent them to the clearing (nicknamed by the boys- The Glade), surrounded by towering stone walls, the boys didn't have answers. They got on with their days, trying to normalise their lives as best they could. Once they realised that the stone walls that encased their clearing opened consistently every morning and closed every night, the boys, the Gladers as they called themselves, decided to send people into the opening, and continued to do this every day upon discovering that behind the walls, there was in fact a maze. Every day, with hopes of finding a way out volunteers, nicknamed runners, ran through the maze, mapping it, looking for a way out, but it was, as the boy knew all to well, to no avail. He was one of the first to volunteer to find a way out of the maze, thinking it wouldn't be long before they got their freedom, and their questions answered, but a year had flown by. Many of the boys kept hoping, the fact that they hadn't found a way out had left them determined, but not this boy. He knew it was hopeless. Is this even a life he thought to himself? Why should we value a life that confines us to a single space, surrounded by walls that offer us nothing but false hope?

That's why the boy had decided to do it. There was no hope. He couldn't stand by and watch the foul creatures the Gladers shared the maze with continue to kill his friends, innocent teenage boys. He couldn't live his life in this miserable, anxiety ridden state any longer, unsure of why he was here or if he would ever be released. With a final sweeping look around the maze corridor that he was hanging in, the boy closed his tear-filled brown eyes to the world and let go of the vine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Hoped you all enjoyed the very first chapter! It's short but there's so much more to come!


	2. So this is what dying feels like... Or is it?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt always assumed his suicide attempt would be successful... but what if it wasn't?

''Weird', the boy thought to himself. 'This isn't what I thought dying would feel like... not that I really gave it much thought... Shouldn't there be pain? Am I already past that stage?' The boy felt as though he was floating, floating around in a world of dark emptiness. Whatever it was, wherever he was, the boy would take it. Anything was better than that bloody maze. Something began to pierce the emptiness in the boy's mind, disrupting his own thoughts. It began as a whisper, but gradually became louder and louder in his mind until the boy could identify the noise.

 

'NEWT! NEWT! GET THE SHUCK UP YOU PIECE OF KLUNK'

And with that the boy's whole mind went black.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing he noticed was the pain. He began to panic, feeling his heart thud violently against his chest. What possibly could have gone wrong? He wasn't meant to be alive! He didn't want to be here. Speaking of here, where was he? The boy tried to open his eyes, but his lids felt heavy, making it too difficult. So he decided to focus on a different tactic, using his other senses. He focused on where his hands were, at his sides. He pressed his fingers down and felt something soft and smooth. It took him a moment to realise that it was a sheet or a blanket. So he was on a bed he guessed. He next took a deep breath in, and focused on what he could smell. The air smelled damp, and he could smell a fire burning somewhere, but it wasn't quite enough. He continued breathing deep, trying to find other smells. He could smell sweet grass, and something else that he couldn't quite identify. In the distance he realised he could hear chatter, occasional yelling and what even sounded like laughter. Suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks. He was back in The Glade. 

'No!' he tried to scream, but no words came out of his dry, parched mouth.  
'There's no way, I couldn't possibly be back here', he thought to himself.

He tried once again to open his eyes, using as much effort as he could muster. This time, he was able to peel back his heavy lids and take in his surroundings, which much to his dismay confirmed his suspicion. He was indeed back in The Glade, in the homestead to be specific, a tall, shabby structure that most of the boys sheltered during the night. In his chest, the boy felt a big ball of something beginning to spread, but wasn't quite able to identify just what it was. Disappointment? Hopelessness? Embarrassment? Shame? Or maybe it was just pain. He was beginning to feel less groggy, more alert and unfortunately more tuned in to the pain. His head was aching, his bones and joints sore, battered and bruised, but nothing compared to the pain in his leg.

After a few minutes, or what could have been hours he supposed, the boy finally felt as though perhaps he could sit up. After minutes of trying to push himself up, he was finally upright and able to get a proper look at his leg. While it was bandaged thoroughly, he could still see where the blood had been weeping through his dressing. 'Oh klunk', he thought to himself. 'I'm still here and now I have a bung leg. Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant'.

A few more minutes went by, the boy unsure what to do now. Just as he was beginning to think about calling out to see if any of the other Gladers were nearby, the heavy wooden door swung open and in rushed a dark-skinned, broad shouldered Glader all too familiar to the boy.  
'NEWT! You're awake! You Slinthead! I've been waiting to get my hands on you. What the hell were you bloody thinking?!'

The boy, Newt, looked at his visitor, sighed and held up one hand before speaking.

'Alby. I don't want to hear it, okay?'.

Alby glared down at Newt, his face contorted with anger and a hint of pain detectable in his eyes. 'Well you better believe you're going to hear it you bloody shank. For a whole year we've been here. We're family. After everything we've built here, everything we've been through together and you go and throw it all away, almost get yourself killed?! Tell me it was an accident Newt. Tell me you were climbing the wall for a good reason and you fell!'  
Alby then paused, taking a deep breath and lowering his shaking voice.  
'Tell me that you didn't try to kill yourself. Please Newt.', Alby's voice cracking as he spoke.

It was enough to shock Newt, glancing up at his friend's pained expression. In his year in the Glade, he'd only once witnessed Alby break down, and that was when the two of them first arrived, two of the first Gladers. Alby was the leader of the group, the one who kept the whole Glade running with his initiative and no-nonsense attitude. But here he was, by Newt's bedside, hands balled into fists, mouth drawn into a grim line, and on the verge of breaking down.

'Alby, look.' Newt pleaded. 'I'm going to be honest with you and only you. I'm no slinthead, so I'm not going to lie to you because you deserve the truth...' Newt paused, looking up at his friend, wiping the tears from his eyes, before continuing. 'It wasn't exactly an accident... I've been having a rough time' he paused again, holding up his hand, silencing Alby's protests. 'I know, I know every other damn shank in this Glade has too, but I just couldn't do it a minute longer.' He explained. 'I couldn't run around the maze another day, and come back with a grim smile on my face and tell the other boys that there was no luck today but hey! Maybe tomorrow! I couldn't go through another month, live another night listening to the latest boy sent up in the box. Listening to him crying into his pillow while he thought no one was listening. I'm just not strong enough to keep doing this every day!', and despite the pain radiating through his entire body, Newt took his head in his hands, grasping at his hair in frustration.

The anger in Alby's face softened as he looked at his fellow Glader. 'Newt', he said quietly, sitting beside his friend on the bed, ''I understand. You know I do, you know we're all going through this too and that's the thing. WE are going through this. WE are going to get through this. And even if YOU don't have hope we'll make it out of this piece of klunk, have hope that we're going to build a good community here and maybe even have a good life. Let the rest of us have our hope that one day we will have our freedom'. Alby looked into his friends eyes, hoping his words could get through to him.

Newt looked back up at his leader, carefully considering these words. Finally, with a curt nod, brushing away one last tear, he responded. 'Okay... I'm willing to give it another go. I'm not making any promises though!' he said quickly, 'And I won't go back out there. I am never going back out into that maze. Not looking for a way out. Not finding dead end after dead end, hoping I don't run into a griever. And you can't tell those other shanks the truth. I told you the truth, but that's only because it's what you're owed as our leader and as my best friend. Those other bloody nosy shuck-faces don't need to be knowing my business. They can't know I was weak. That I jumped from that wall on purpose. Please Alby, it's all I ask'.

Alby stood up, breaking away from Newt's fierce gaze and began to walk back and forth around the room, nodding his head. 'You have yourself a deal, shank. Don't you dare pull anything, okay? Because next time you might not survive and I need you here.' He stopped pacing, pausing in the middle of the room to face his friend. 'I need you to be my second in command. You have the strength to get things done around here and you've been here just as long as me. I'll assign you elsewhere in the Glade, I won't send you back out into the maze. Make sure you keep everyone on their toes. You're the glue that holds us all together man, we need you to stay alive.' And without so much as a fleeting look or a goodbye, Alby turned abruptly and left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I hope you all enjoyed the second chapter, I promise Thomas will be making an appearance soon so you can all get some of that Newt/Thomas action! Please leave any comments or anything, I'd love to hear from you guys!


	3. Girl Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Minho begin to think about life in The Glade and in Minho's opinion, the one thing that's missing: Girls. Newt is not so sure he agrees on that point...

\-----------------------------------------------A YEAR ON-----------------------------------------

Newt's back pressed into the soft, green blades of grass, cushioning him from the hard earth below. He chuckled to himself, closing his eyes to the rich, blue sky above. How could things change so drastically, yet stay the same? He was aware that it had been well over a year since his suicide attempt, a secret he carried heavily around with him, materialising in the form of a limp and a dark, black cloud of sorrow over his head. In that time the Glade had grown, new boys appearing every month, like clockwork, Newt mused. In that year, they had recieved 12 or so more boys, each as scared and distraught as the ones before them. Newt hated it at first, the first year he couldn't stand it. He still couldn't, he supposed, but it was something he had begun to grow used to after two years in the Glade. After a week or so of whining and carrying on, refusing to do anything, speak to anyone, the boys all finally came around and became part of the Glader community. 

He hated to admit it, even just to himself, but Alby was right. While they hadn't found a way out, the Glade was running smoothly, Alby in charge, and Newt second in command. It wasn't about power, that's not what it was about at all. It was all about influence. Newt relished in it. In the year since he'd taken on his role of helping Alby lead the group, Newt had found something for live for, perhaps even a little spark of hope. He'd become the friendly face amongst the Glader's, the helping hand, the approachable one. A year ago, he was just bitter like the rest of them, but now, now he was strong. He had his bad days sure, but more often than not, he was in good spirits. Well, as happy as you can be when you're locked in a maze with no visible way out and no idea why you're there. He lay there on his back, smiling to himself, thinking about how glad he was with the progress he'd made. 

 

Laying there, with the sun shining down, warming his long, slender body, Newt was suddenly jolted back to reality as he heard the sound of thudding feet along the tough earth, and he could tell they were coming towards him. 'Ah bloody hell', he thought to himself. He'd thought he was hidden, laying deep in the gardens, camouflaged, or so he thought, in the rows of vegetables that ran along one of the four walls of the Glade. Newt didn't bother to open his eyes. He was too comfortable, too content to face reality just yet. He heard his fellow Glader stop abruptly and plonk down next to him in the grass. After waiting to see if his new companion would speak, Newt opened one eye, to see who had joined him. He smiled. Minho.

'What are you smiling at, shuck-face', Minho jeered.

Newt chuckled. 'You, ya shank. What are you doing back so early? The doors aren't supposed to close for hours?'

Minho was the Glade's best runner, keeper of all the other runners. Not only could he run at a steady pace through the maze for an entire day, but he was smart. He could map the maze while simultaneously documenting anything that might have changed from the day before. He was one of the most intelligent of all the Gladers, not that Newt could ever admit it to his face, Minho was also one of the most confident of the Gladers... if confident was another word for big-headed.

'It just doesn't feel right you know,' Minho responded, brow furrowed, his usual spark of humor gone. 'Just a few days ago Nick was killed out there, in broad daylight! I'm not saying I'm scared or nothing... I'm not! I just felt like I should take a moment to think about Nick today. And every other shuckin' Glader we've lost. They deserve that much.' Minho looked down at his hands in his lap, a range of emotions evident across his face.

'I understand Minho, I really do, but there's no use crying about it.' Newt reasoned. 'Yeah it sucks. Yeah the shanks who put us here are the worst people in the world. Yeah if we ever see them we're gonna cave their shuckin' heads in, but we're expecting a new Greenie tomorrow, and the cycle's going to continue. You need to pull yourself together and concentrate on getting us all out of this place.'

'Yeah, about that new green bean...' Minho said with a smirk, turning his face to the sky and closing his eyes. 'Isn't it about time we get a girl Glader around here? I miss girls. Screw freedom. Screw food. Screw clothes! Throw some girls in the box!'

Newt scoffed, but didn't reply. Minho had always had a strange sense of humor, and Newt knew that it was just his way of dealing with the stress and pain that everyone experienced living in the maze.

'Oh come on!' Minho taunted, opening his dark eyes and turning onto his side to look at Newt, resting on a muscular arm. 'Tell me you wouldn't rather a girl in the box over another bloody shuck-face boy!' he dared.

Newt also turned to his side, pushing his blonde hair out of his eyes as he faced Minho. 'I dunno. I guess I haven't bloody thought about it. They've never sent us a girl before, so I don't like our chances of getting one now.'

Minho studied Newt's face, noticing the indifference etched across it. He seemed completely uninterested in the conversation.   
'You can't seriously tell me you've never thought about it. Don't you miss girls man?'

Newt sighed deeply before responding. 'Well Minho, I can honestly say relationships have been the last thing on my mind for the past two years, and as for before that. Who knows?'

Minho was quiet. Newt hoped that it was to be the end of the subject and flopped onto his stomach, resting his head on his forearm. He hadn't lied to Minho. He truly hadn't thought about relationships, girls even, since they had been dumped in the Glade two years ago, and the thought of a girl being brought up in the box was truly unexciting to him. He'd heard his fellow Gladers joking about girls over the two years, wondering if any of them had been with a girl and just couldn't remember, wondering if they'd ever see a girl again. Newt never joined in. He had too much on his mind, he couldn't bring himself to sit and muse about an imaginary girl.

Minho coughed, getting Newt's attention and snapping him out of his musings.

'What the bloody hell do you want now Minho?' Newt asked, aggravated at having his thoughts interrupted, again.

'Well... you do like girls don't you?' Minho asked.

Newt looked up once again, expecting to find humour in his friend's eyes and a big smirk stretched across his face, but instead he found sincerity.

'Of course I bloody like girls you shank! I can't remember ever bloody seeing one but I sure don't like boys, do I!?'

The sincerity left Minho's face instantly and he laughed loudly at his friend.

'Good, just checking you shank. You can't be too careful these days. I know I'm good looking, just making sure you weren't thinking of cracking on to me anytime soon'. Minho winked at Newt and lay down again, facing the gradually darkening sky.

Newt sighed loudly and once again lay his head down on his arm. This time, he had lied to Minho. Newt couldn't remember ever meeting a girl, but for the past two years he had wondered, briefly, why he didn't even pay them a thought like the other Glader's did. Newt wasn't sure why he never thought about girls, or why he didn't seem interested when the other boys talked about them, but it's not like he'd ever been interested in any of the boys either! Maybe he just didn't feel attraction for anyone. Or maybe, he thought to himself, he really did have too much on his mind. There wasn't enough time to focus on that sort of thing. Maybe once... if... he got out of this hell hole, he'd be able to give it some more thought. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Newt awoke with a start. He sat up, unsure of what had awoken him. He turned to his right, observing the sight next to him. Minho stared back at him, equally as confused, stretching, making it apparent that he had also just awoken. It was dark, the stars twinkling in the distance above the Glade. As they sat there staring at each other, and before either of them could speak, the boys heard a commotion coming from the middle of the Glade. Without a word to each other, they jumped up from where they had been napping in the soft, green grass and ran towards the commotion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I swear it's almost time for Newt to lay his eyes on Thomas for the first time! I wonder how it will go!


	4. Greenie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time that Newt turns his attention to something other than the maze...

As the boys ran out of the gardens and approached the rest of their group, they began to hear the screeching of an alarm. They kept running, but exchanged confused glances. Both of the boys recognised the alarm, the same alarm that sounded every time there was a new boy coming up in the elevator-like box in the middle of the clearing... but the box wasn't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow. In all Newt's time in the Glade, never once had the box arrived on a day it wasn't supposed to... and never at night time. Newt and Minho skidded to a halt, stopping just next to Winston, keeper of the Slicers, standing at the back of the crowd.   
'Newt! Minho! Alby is going out of his mind looking for you two shanks!' Winston exclaimed. 'He's up front, you better get up there before the box arrives'.

The two Gladers pushed their way to the front, finding Alby doing his best to calm the crowd.   
'Alby, what's going on?' Newt called to his friend.   
Alby fixed furious eyes on Newt and Minho.  
'Where the shuck were you two!? This alarm's been going off for twenty minutes and here I am working my bloody ass off to calm everyone down!' He shouted, momentarily capturing the crowd's attention.   
Minho glared back at their leader.  
'Alright, well we're here now. Keep your knickers on you slinthead! What's going on?'   
Now it was Alby's turn to glare at Minho. 'Watch yourself Minho, be careful who you speak to like that.' Newt glanced from Glader to Glader, stepping in between them.   
'Alright shanks, buggin' calm down. Alby, will you just explain what's happening?' Newt asks, hoping to keep the peace between his two friends.   
Alby responded, finally regaining his composure and keeping his temper at bay. 'I've got no bloody idea. One second we're all sitting down to dinner around the fire, and the next thing we know, the Greenie alarm's going off.'  
'Yeah! We must be getting our Greenie early!' yelled a young, curly haired boy of about thirteen, standing right at the front of the crowd.  
'Oh shut it Chuck, don't spectate. If you'd just be patient, I guess we'll find out in a minute.' Newt said to the boy, noticing that the alarm had stopped ringing and a grinding sound came from the hole in the ground, signaling that the box was coming to a halt near the top.

The boys filed around the box, forming a circle, all looking down, waiting for someone to open it. Newt and a tall, dark-haired Glader by the name of Gally, each took up a position on one of the doors. Newt gave a nod and simultaneously the boys pulled open the doors on the lid of the box. Newt leaned closer, peering into the darkness, trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside. The rest of the Gladers watched in anticipation, as Newt smiled and turned to them. 'It's a new Greenie!' He shouted. Whispers and chatter instantly began to whip around the crowd. 

Newt and Gally both reached in an arm, to help the new boy out of the box. As soon as they had him on solid ground, Newt stumbled backwards, having been shoved away by the boy as he backed away from the crowd, clearly panicked with his hands in front of his body, as if trying to shield himself from the group.

'What's happening?! Who are you all?! Who am I? What's happening?' He shouted, clearly frightened.   
Newt observed the boys stance, like a dog backed into a corner. He noted his large, dark, round eyes and the panic etched across his face.   
He approached slowly, 'Hey, Greenie! Calm down, don't have a buggin' heart attack. We'll explain everything. You just need to trust us, okay?' The boy stared at him, as if studying to see whether Newt was being sincere. After a moment, he nodded unconvincingly, but didn't step any closer.   
He lowered his shaking hands, and spoke. 'Start explaining.'  
Newt laughed, and Alby began to walk towards the boy.   
'All in good time Greenie, first, let's grab some food'. Alby pointed to the other side of the box, where the fire was burning and the other Gladers had started to return to eat their dinner.   
The new boy began to follow Alby- Minho, Newt and the rest of the Gladers in tow. The boy, Greenie, as the boys called him, turned to Newt with a worried look. 'Why can't I remember my name? And please tell me where I am.' He pleaded.  
Newt gave him a small smile. He felt sorry for the boy, but he knew it was best to leave the explaining up to Alby. He was their leader for a reason.  
'Don't worry Greenie, all in good time. Your name will come back to you in a day or two, it was like this for all of us.' Newt clapped him on the shoulder, 'names Newt by the way.'   
The new boy didn't look comforted, shook off Newt's hand and began to walk faster after Alby.   
Newt grinned to himself. He didn't know what it was about their new, broad shouldered, dark-haired arrival... But there was something about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I really hope you liked the chapter, I know it was short but there's more on it's way!


	5. Dinner, Bonfires and Heart to Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Thomas get another chance to talk over dinner, Thomas asks too many questions and hits a nerve.

An hour had passed since the new boy had come up in the box and Newt watched from the opposite side of the crackling bonfire, as the boy shot questions at Alby and Alby did his best to answer them.   
‘What are you looking at shuck-face?’  
Minho snapped him out of his trance.   
Newt turned and threw a piece of carrot at his friend, which Minho caught in his mouth and grinned. ‘Nothing shank, just staring off into a distance, thinking about how pretty you are’, Newt winked at his friend and Minho burst into a deep laughter that pierced the night air.   
As Newt joined in the laughter, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and looked back across the fire to see the new boy gazing at him through the flickering flames. Minho’s laugh seemed to have caught his attention. Newt noticed Alby had moved on, leaving the boy alone, so he stood up and began to make his way over to him, leaving Minho behind chatting to fellow Gladers, Teddy and Kennedy. The boy watched as Newt made his way slowly towards him. Once reaching the boy, Newt sat down next to him, leaning against the same log that the Greenie had made himself comfortable against.   
‘Alright Greenie?’ Newt asked, taking a swig of the water bottle that had been laying on the ground just to his right. He coughed as he swallowed… Not water. Some of Gally’s home brewed grog. It went down with a burn.   
‘No.’ the boy responded back, a hint of anger evident in his voice. ‘I’m not alright. That other boy, Alby, wasn’t really much help. How can you have been here two years and not found a way out!? How can you not know who put us here?!’  
Newt held up his hands, ‘Whoa, whoa! Calm yourself slinthead.’ Newt said, placing a hand on the new boy’s shoulder. ‘We’ve been searching for a way out every single day for that two years. The maze, it moves every single night. But we keep looking. And as for who put us here… They never really make contact, apart from sending us supplies once a week. Of course we wouldn’t know anything about them!’ He gave the boy a quick squeeze on the shoulder and removed his hand. 

The Greenie seemed to visibly relax, returning Newt’s smile.   
‘So, can I have a swig of that?’ He asked.   
Newt laughed, and the boy joined in, taking note of Newt’s infectious smile. ‘Sure. It’s tough stuff, Gally’s homemade drink. Good luck to ya!’  
Newt passed the bottle along to the new boy, and he took a swig, barely flinching.   
Newt raised his eyebrows at the boy. ‘Wow, I’m impressed!’ he joked.   
‘So’ the boy said, stretching his long legs out in front of him and placing his arms on the log behind the two Gladers. ‘Tell me about the job’s in this place. Alby said I was going to be put to good use tomorrow, I have a feeling I want to be prepared.’   
Newt noticed how close the boy was sitting to him, enjoying his close company. He took a deep breath, and began to explain to the boy the workings of the glade. He explained that the boy would try a different job each day, trying to find a good fit, somewhere his strengths could be best used. First, Greenie would work for Winston in the bloodshed, the Gladers’ nickname for the wooden structure where they slaughtered the animals for eating. Then, hoping the Greenie could survive that day, he would move onto the gardens the next day, the very same where Newt spent most of his time, even though he didn’t have to (the perks of being second in command). Newt realised how hard his heart was beating when he thought about the day the Greenie worked in the gardens, but he ignored it and quickly moved on. After finishing explaining each of the jobs, Greenie looked confused.   
‘What’s that look for?’ Newt asked.   
‘Well, what about the maze? Alby said there are people who explore the maze? Who are those people? Don’t I get to try that too?’  
Newt turned to give the new boy a sharp look. ‘No. You don’t get to try that.’ He snapped.   
The boy looked hurt. ‘Why not?’ He questioned.   
Newt sighed, taking pity on the boy. ‘The maze Greenie… You don’t want to go in there…’ he explained, studying the boy’s face, noticing the interest he was taking as Newt went on to explain what he meant. ‘We only send our best in there. Our fastest, our smartest, our best thinkers. What’s out there…’ Newt shuddered. ‘The creatures… they’re horrific.’  
‘What do you mean?’   
A flash of pain crossed Newt’s face. ‘The creatures… they’re killers. So many of our own, dead. Missing. Simply gone. And for the life of me Greenie, I can’t explain to you the horrors.’  
‘How do you know about them? Have you been in there?’   
Newt turned away from the boy, snapping at him in a harsh tone. ‘None of your shuckin’ business Greenie. Just keep your head down and work hard.’   
The new boy could see his question had upset Newt, and that was the last thing he wanted to do- upset one of the only people who had gone out of their way to be kind to him so far. He placed his hand on Newt’s shoulder, a briefly wondered if his sudden mood change had anything to do with the heavy limp that the boy had noticed as Newt made his way over to him.   
A small smile crossed Newt’s face, at the unexpected contact of the boy but he shook it off.   
‘Chuck!’ he roared across the Glade. The small, chubby boy he had snapped at before appeared.   
‘Yeah?’ he answered, beaming at the new boy.   
‘Take the Greenie and show him where he’s sleeping. And Greenie?’  
‘Yeah?’  
‘Stick with Chuck, he’ll show you around a bit before your tour tomorrow with Alby’. And with that, Newt stood up and limped away, nodding at Minho on his way past and wandering off towards the gardens to find a soft patch of grass to rest on during the night. 

Newt lay down, inhaling the sweet smell of the grass and the night air. He closed his eyes, and reflected on the nights events. The new boy, their talk… the contact. He began to drift off to sleep with a small smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading I hope you're enjoying the story! Please feel free to leave any comments, I always love to hear from you! I know I updated these chapters quite quickly but I have a few chapters stored as I had originally posted this work on Wattpad so I'll post them as I edit them, and then I will aim for a chapter a week while I continue to work on writing the rest of the story!


	6. An Introduction To The Glade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt is excited to hear that Alby wants him to show Thomas around on his first morning in The Glade.

Newt awoke early, as usual, before most of the other Gladers. He lay there in the grass for a few minutes, going over yesterday’s events. There was something about the new boy, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. The small thrill he felt when the boy smiled and the excitement he felt as seeing him again today. Newt was sure that they were to become good friends. He stood up, stretching, his shirt riding up, showing off his lean, toned stomach. He began to wander out of the gardens, and towards the homestead, in search of food. In the kitchen, he found Alby sitting there with his head in his hands. Newt took up a seat next to his friend, and began to shovel food into his mouth.   
‘What’s up man?’ Newt asked, through mouthfuls of food.   
Alby looked up in surprise, as if he hadn’t even noticed Newt sit down.   
‘I’m heading out into the maze today.’  
Newt looked up in surprise, almost choking.   
‘What!?’   
Alby stood up from the table, calling over his shoulder to Newt as he wandered towards the door. ‘Minho found a dead Griever yesterday, and we’re going out to see it. Never, in our two years here have we seen a dead Griever. It must mean something.’  
Before Newt could reply, Alby started talking again, ‘and one more thing, show the Greenie around will you? Minho and I are heading out soon, I don’t have time.’   
He paused by the door, waiting for Newt’s answer. Newt tried not to show his excitement, excitement that he didn’t quite understand himself, let alone anything Alby would understand. ‘Sure’ he said, trying to sound calm, running his hand through his hair. ‘I’ll do it.’   
‘Great, wish me luck!’ Alby responded, jogging out of the homestead.   
Newt sat there, a small smile playing on his lips. Today was already shaping up to be a good day. 

Newt finished his breakfast in a hurry, jogging off to find the Greenie. He tried to ignore the excitement growing in his stomach, in the form of what felt like a dozen butterflies. ‘You’re being ridiculous’ he told himself. ‘You’ve never gotten this excited about showing around a Green Bean before, so what’s the deal with this one?!’ Newt shook the thoughts out of his mind, as he spotted the new boy sleeping peacefully near the gardens where Newt himself slept every night. Chuck was sleeping soundly next to him. Before waking him, Newt studied the new boy’s face. Gone were the traces of worry and panic etched on his face the day before. In the morning light, Newt could see that the boy looked to be about what he believed his own age to be, an estimated 16 or 17. He had dark, floppy brown hair and looked to be in good shape. ‘Good’ Newt thought, he’ll need it if he’s going to be a builder or a track-hoe. 

He leaned down a shook the boy’s shoulder lightly and as the boy stirred, he leaned lower to whisper in his ear. ‘Rise and shine Greenie, Day 1 in the Glade is about to begin’. The boy jumped upon hearing Newt’s voice, and Newt laughed softly, clearly please at scaring the boy. The boy rubbed sleep out of his eyes and reached to grasp Newt’s outstretched hand. Newt pressed his finger to his lips, reminding the Greenie to keep quiet, as he led him away from the other sleeping boy.   
'Where are we going?' The Greenie asked as soon as they were far enough away from Chuck that they could talk without waking him.   
'Well Greenie' Newt responded, 'Tour starts now, so let’s getting moving before these other Shank’s wake up.'   
Newt led the boy around the Glade, explaining the four different corners- the Bloodhouse, the Gardens, the Homestead and the Deadheads. The boy listened intently, trying to take everything in. ‘Alright, today you’ll be with Winston, keeper of the Slicers, in the Bloodhouse. It’s a shocking job, but someone’s gotta do it. Who knows, you might even bloody enjoy it!’ The boy stared at him, as if Newt was out of his mind. ‘Somehow, I don’t think that’ll be the case.’ Newt laughed, the boy joining in. Newt showed the boy to the bloodshed, where he could see Winston beginning work. ‘Alright Greenie, I’ll leave you here in Winston’s capable hands. Might see you around at lunch!’   
Newt began to limp away, heading off towards his sanctuary, the gardens.   
‘Wait!’ he heard from behind him.   
He turned to see the boy walking towards him.   
‘Um. Thanks for showing me around’ the Greenie said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, making Newt smile. The boy smiled too, continuing, ‘It’s just nice to have a friendly face around. Wish me luck today!’ Newt’s smile broadened, he waved and turned back around. Suddenly, he was really looking forward to lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you like the latest chapter! I would love to hear from you guys!


	7. Greenie Gets a New Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension brews between the Greenie and Gally, meanwhile Newt is concerned when Minho and Alby still haven't returned from the maze.

Newt worked hard in the gardens all morning, looking forward to another chance to chat with the Greenie at lunch. He also found himself glancing to the maze doors every so often, hoping, and waiting for Minho and Alby to appear. He assumed today they would be back early, given that they were going in to find the dead Griever, and then heading back out, not bothering to map the maze for the day. Eventually, Newt paused his weeding to take a swig of water and wipe his sweaty brow, and noticed that the rest of the Gladers were beginning to make their way to the grassy field to eat lunch. Perfect. He called to Zart, leader of the Track-Hoes, who signalled to the rest of them to begin heading over to grab some food. As the Track-Hoes approached the rest of the group, they noticed the crowd had gathered into a circle, all the Gladers yelling and arguing. Newt, being left in command while Alby was in the maze, pushed himself to the middle, closely followed by Zart. Newt could feel his blood boiling as soon as he lay his eyes on the scene before him. In the middle of the circle, Gally stood, hands balled into fists, fury etched across his face. Facing him, was the new boy, the Greenie, looking mildly confused, but also angry. Newt ran to stand between the two. 

‘One of you shanks better bloody explain what’s going on here!’ He yelled, silencing the crowd.   
‘I’ll tell you what’s going on!’ Gally shouted, turning his furious gaze to Newt. ‘This shank turns up last night, when we NEVER get a Greenie at night, not to mention a day early, and no one here bloody questions it! It must mean something! I don’t trust this shank and I think he needs to be questioned, so I’m going to do it!’   
The Greenie stepped past Newt, before he could reach out and stop him, and stepped right up close to Gally, pressing his face close to his.   
‘Listen here. I have no idea who you are, and no idea who I am. I turned up here, in this friggin’ place with all you guys, with no idea who I am or why I’m here. I don’t need you questioning me like I’ve got something to hide. I. Know. Nothing.’ The Greenie stated those last words slowly and through gritted teeth, as if trying to force it through Gally’s mind. Before Newt could respond to either boy, Gally shoved the Greenie, unable to contain his anger. The new boy flew backwards, landing hard on the ground, his head falling back onto the earth with an almighty crack. A shocked gasp murmured through the crowd and both Zart and Chuck ran to the boy. Zart shook his shoulder roughly, and the boys eyes flew open. He pushed past both Gladers hovering over him, sitting up, eyes wide. ‘Thomas!’ he croaked. Newt raised his eyebrow at him, questioning the statement.   
‘Thomas! My name’s Thomas!’ He shouted.   
Newt broke out into a smile and turned to the crowd. ‘The Greenie’s name is Thomas!’ he announced. A roar went up in the crowd as they welcomed the new Greenie by name. This was tradition, once the Greenie remembered his name, the boys felt as though he was officially apart of their group. While Chuck and Zart helped Thomas up, Newt turned on Gally. ‘You’ he said, shoving his finger in Gally’s chest. ‘You shove off, leave the boy alone. We’ll discuss this when Alby makes it back.’   
Gally swiped at Newt’s hand, pushing his finger off his chest, turned on his heel and stormed off without a word. 

After watching Gally storm off towards the Deadheads, Newt turned back around to find that the Gladers had settled down. Newt went to grab some food, and returned, sitting down next to Thomas. He raised his eyebrow at him for the second time today. ‘So, Thomas? Nice name.’ Thomas laughed, ‘Yeah I guess it’s just good not to be Greenie anymore’, Newt laughed along with him, while scanning the maze doors for any sign of Minho and Alby. Thomas noticed the crease in-between Newt’s eyes, signalling his worry. ‘What’s up?’ he asked. Newt turned his gaze back to Thomas and sighed. ‘Oh nothing. Just worried about those shanks in the maze. They should have been back by now.’ Thomas looked over at the maze, ‘I’m sure they’ll be back soon. You said Minho was the best runner.’ Newt was thankful to Thomas for trying to make him feel better, giving him a small smile. ‘You really care about those two, don’t you?’ Thomas continued. Newt’s smile widened. ‘Yeah. We’ve been here together, all three of us, since the very first day. Those shuck-faces are my best friends’. Thomas didn’t respond, and both boys continued to eat their lunch.   
‘I want to be a runner’ Thomas announced, breaking the silence. Newt began to choke on his food, only stopping once Thomas clapped him hard on the back. ‘No bloody way.’ Newt managed to get out, before taking a large gulp from his water. Thomas brow furrowed, as he challenged Newt. ‘Why not?’ Fury flashed across Newt’s face. ‘Like I told you last night, it’s bloody dangerous in there. End of discussion’. Thomas didn’t question it, but inside his mind, the matter wasn’t settled. 

Newt was furious. Thomas just didn’t get it, he just didn’t understand how dangerous life was out there in the maze. There was no way that he was agreeing, or even considering sending Thomas out into the maze. He was surprised at himself, unsure where this fierce protectiveness had come from. He’d know the boy all of 24 hours, but he had such a desire to protect him, to make him laugh, to become his friend. He brushed away his thoughts and his fury, as usual, and finished off his lunch.   
‘Well Tommy, I’m back off to work.’ He clapped Thomas on the shoulder, limping away to the gardens once again, his haven. 

Being second in command meant Newt got to choose what he spent his time on, and more often than not, it was weeding, planting, hoeing and wood chopping. He found it one of the more therapeutic aspects of the maze. Newt was a hard worker, always happy to do his bit and keep his mind occupied. While he worked, he thought about Thomas and his determination to be a runner. The thought scared him. While he’d never admit it, whenever Minho and the other runners went out into the maze, Newt worried about them. They knew the maze, they were the most likely to survive out there, but it didn’t matter. Somehow, Gladers kept dying out there, and Newt was always afraid of losing someone else. By the time Newt set down his shovel, he noticed a group gathering around the door. ‘Of course’, he thought to himself, dread filling him. ‘The doors are closing soon… Alby… Minho... They aren’t back.’ Newt ran to join the rest of the group, not quite ready to face the fact that his two best friends might just be lost to the maze forever…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying the book! It means so much to me to see you all reading and leaving kudos!


	8. The Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wait continues as the Glader's anxiously hope that Minho and Alby return to the maze.

An eerie silence settled over the group, as the Glader’s waited anxiously by the maze doors. Chuck was the one who broke the silence. ‘They’ll be back any second now, they’re gonna make it!’ he said trying to sound confident, his voice wavering, giving away his true emotions. Newt gave the younger boy a small, sad smile. He felt a warm hand grasp his shoulder, turning briefly, to see Thomas standing next to him. ‘Maybe they’ll make it through the night?’ Thomas suggested naively. Newt couldn’t help but scoff. ‘Listen here Tommy.’ He said gravely with a rough edge to his voice. ‘No one, ever makes it through a night in the maze. If you don’t make it back before the doors close. That’s it, you’re gone. Sometimes, the runners find the bodies of those Gladers who never made it back before the doors closed, other times, they vanish without a tra….’ Suddenly, Newt was cut off by the sound none of the Glader’s wanted to hear, a deafening, grinding noise as the doors to the maze began to slowly close. Newt felt his heart drop. He hung his head sadly, turning away hoping that none of the other boys would see his eyes, quickly filling with tears. It would make the Gladers panic. Newt never cried. ‘Wait!’ Chuck screamed, mayhem erupted, the crowd of boys yelling and pointing. Newt spun quickly around, peering through the slowly closing maze doors, trying to see what Chuck was pointing at. Gazing into the darkness, Newt could make out a figure, stumbling towards them. Newt gasped upon making out the shape. An exhausted Minho made his way slowly towards them, panic etched across his face, carrying something in his arms… Alby. ‘Hurry!’ ‘Run Minho, run!’ the boys screamed. The doors were almost closed, Minho edged closer. Newt closed his eyes, knowing he wasn’t going to make it. ‘Thomas, no!’ Newt’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of Chuck’s scream, just in time to see the maze doors closing on Minho, Alby and… Thomas.

The doors closed with a large boom, shaking the Glade. An eerie silence once again settled over the crowd. The Gladers stood, shell-shocked. Chuck was visibly upset, tears streaming down his face. He turned to face Newt. ‘It’ll be okay. Maybe they’ll make it!’ Newt’s anger boiled over. He ran forward to the now closed maze door, and punched the stone with all his might, feeling the bones in his hand shatter on impact. He screamed, a mix of pain and fury. ‘They’re gone Chuck.’ He said, then turned to face the crowd. ‘They’re gone.’ And with that, he turned away from the door, ignoring his fellow Gladers, nursing his injured hand and storming off towards the gardens. 

By the time dinner time came around, Newt's hand was swollen twice the size, already bruising quickly. Newt sat, grim faced by the bonfire, none of the boys daring to speak to him. Gone was the usual joking and silly banter, instead the boys ate quietly, talking softly amongst themselves. Newt was grateful for the silence. He took the evening to mourn his friends. He knew this time it was different. While the Gladers were not new to the deaths of their friends, never had Newt lost one of his best friends, let alone two and a Greenie he was quickly beginning to care about. He swiped angrily at a tear on his cheek. He was the leader now, he couldn't waste time mourning about his friends any longer. This was the life inside the Glade, it was rough, painful and hopeless and Newt had to get used to it. He also knew he had to step up to the roll of leader, filling Alby's shoes, and it was going to be tough. Especially with Glader's like Gally around. 

Newt finished his dinner, helping himself to some of Gally's homemade liquor. After drinking enough that a dull, hollow feeling replaced the pain and anguish inside his chest, Newt stumbled his way to the gardens to rest. Before he could make it all the way, he was stopped by Chuck. 'They're going to make it Newt' his whispered, 'I know they'll make it.' Newt sighed at the boys naive belief, pushing roughly past him, not in the mood to speak. 'They will make it!' Chuck screamed desperately at Newt's disappearing back, 'I'll be waiting at the maze doors tomorrow morning, come and see! They'll be there!' Newt shook his head and continued on his way, laying down in his favourite patch of soft, green grass and closing his eyes tight, holding on to a silent hope that when he woke up tomorrow, this would all be a dream.   
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Newt woke up later than usual, stretching and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. For a moment he forgot the horrors of the day before, but then it all came crashing back to him-he had lost his best friend's to the maze. Newt began to breathe deeply, the pain in his chest almost too much to bear, not to mention the throbbing pain making its way through his injured hand. After a few minutes of wallowing, Newt finally got his emotions together and stood up. As he had awoken later than usual, he was surprised not to see anyone mulling around the gardens as he walked through the vast, leafy greenery on his way to the homestead for some breakfast. As soon as he left the gardens, Newt knew the reason he hadn't seen anyone so far this morning. He gazed across the Glade, noticing a large group of Gladers, almost all of them, standing around the now-closed maze doors. Newt sighed and began to storm his way over to them. As the new leader, it was his job to get everyone back to their jobs. He knew their waiting was pointless, no one had ever survived a night in the maze. On his way over, Newt passed Gally sitting by the remnants of last night's fire. Gally scowled as Newt walked passed, muttering under his breath 'bloody waste of time, no one's going to be on the other side of those doors'. Newt glared back at Gally and continued on his way to the group. As he approached the group, he noticed the silence and the tension that hung in the air. Not a single Glader was speaking, all just standing there anxiously awaiting the opening of the maze doors. 

Newt made his way to the front of the crowd, not at all surprised to find the familiar, curly haired boy standing there, front and centre. 'Chuck. I told you, it's not worth it.' He shook his head at the younger boy, then turned to the rest of the crowd. 'Okay shanks, you all know the drill. No one survives a night in the maze, as much as we want them to, so let's just get back to w-' Newt's speech was cut off by the familiar scraping sound of the stone doors being slowly dragged apart. The whole crowd gasped and began to peer anxiously into the widening abyss.


	9. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do Newt and the Gladers deal with Thomas and Minho's return?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all I really hope you're enjoying the fic! I'm sorry for the late update but things have just been insane lately! I can't wait until Newt and Thomas begin to get even closer!  
> Sidenote: I absolutely love when Newt calls Thomas 'Tommy'!

Newt's eyes strained as he peered desperately into the darkness. He knew that they wouldn't be there. No one ever made it through a night in the maze, but for some reason he couldn't squash that little ribbon of hope that was blooming in his chest. The doors continued to grind and clank as they stuttered open. It was torture, standing there, waiting, when suddenly, Newt's gaze rested upon two figures. His legs went weak as a roar erupted from the crowd. 'They made it!' Chuck screamed next to him. 'They bloody made it!'. Newt stood on wobbly-legs, shell-shocked, as the rest of the Gladers ran forward, embracing Minho and Thomas. As Newt stood there staring, he saw Clint, the Glade's med-jack, run forward and take something from Thomas. Newt was shocked to see that it was Alby. Newt watched on as a million thoughts raced through his mind. Alby was alive. Minho was alive. Tommy was alive. Newt blinked rapidly, still unable to move.

The crowd were yelling and cheering, an excited buzz hovering in the air, as they moved towards Newt. Minho was the first to reach Newt, grasping him tight and slapping on the back.  
'What's with you?! Where's my congratulations? I know you missed this pretty face in the Glade last night!' Minho laughed. Newt hugged him back fiercely, relieved to see his friend was still in good spirits. Once Minho released Newt, Newt had the chance to study his friend. Covered in scratches, dry blood and dirt, Minho, while cheerful, had clearly had a rough night.  
'Minho, go with Clint and Jeff while they take Alby, and get yourself fixed up, then I want you to meet me in Alby's room. We need to talk'  
Minho laughed, 'Well, looks like being in charge suits someone!' and he dragged himself away on tired feet, following the two med-jacks who were carrying Alby in-between them. Newt turned his attention back to the other boy that had emerged from the maze. Surrounded by Gladers, Thomas was being shot at with question after question and had Chuck standing at his side, gazing up at the new boy in clear admiration. 

'I can't believe you shanks made it!' Chuck beamed at Thomas. Thomas grinned down at him and then stepped forward, away from the crowd and from Chuck, and stepped right up to Newt. Before Newt knew it, he was enclosed in Thomas' arms. He breathed in a sigh of relief, his anger and grief momentarily forgotten as soon as Thomas wrapped his arms around him. Newt breathed him in, he smelled of sweat, blood and something sweet, almost like grass. Newt allowed himself to relax into Thomas' lean, hard body for a moment before he snapped himself out of his thoughts, coughing and slapping Thomas on the back.  
'You made it Tommy! How the bloody hell did you shanks managed that?!' He asked Thomas, while the other boys watched on. Thomas rubbed the back of his neck, studying Newt's face.  
'I'll tell you everything, but can I please get something to eat?' Newt smiled, glad to see his friend still had his appetite. Newt herded the rest of the boys off to work, even managing to convince Chuck that he could speak to Thomas as lunch time, and headed off to the homestead with Thomas to get some food.

While they walked, Newt's relief was quickly overtaken by the anger and hurt that had plagued Newt all night. Thomas had broken the rules, he had run into that maze when he knew it was not only dangerous, but forbidden. Instead of confronting Thomas, Newt decided to wait until he had heard the full story and then speak to Thomas about his actions.

Newt and Thomas ate quickly and in silence. Newt was anxious to get upstairs and see how Alby was fairing and Thomas seemed exhausted from his night in the maze. Once the boys had finished eating, both of them stood up and made their way upstairs. As they got further and further down the upstairs hallway, they could hear a long, drawn out moaning sound coming from one of the rooms. Newt's brow furrowed as he recognised the sound. Alby. The boys rushed into the room to find two defeated looking Gladers- Clint and Jeff. 'Clint, Jeff!' Newt barked, 'What's going on? What's wrong with him?' Clint hung his head sadly. 'He's been stung'. Newt's stomach dropped. If there was one thing every Glader knew, it was that being stung was worse than being dead. Newt grimaced, recalling the countless Gladers who had lain in the same bed as Alby was currently occupying, each of them moaning, screaming, and writhing in agony.  
'Is that bad?' Thomas questioned, his voice shaking. Newt turned to him with a grimace. 

'Yes Tommy. It's bad.'

Newt began to head over to the bed, grabbing a wet cloth on his way. He called over his shoulder.  
'Tommy. Go find Minho and meet me in the next room. I'll be in in a minute'. Newt heard Thomas' footsteps slowly growing quieter as he left the room. Newt sat beside his best friend on the bed, taking the wet cloth and pressing it to Alby's head. Alby moaned, his eyes fluttering, turning his head to Newt. Newt sighed, his heart aching as he saw the pain contorting Alby's face. He knew his best friend didn't have much longer.  
'Keep him comfortable. I'll be back tonight' he said softly to the med-jacks, standing up and leaving the room.

Newt made his way into the next room to find Newt and Thomas sprawled on the floor, eyes closed. 'Gladers! No time for sleep yet. We need to talk.' Both Gladers on the floor jumped at the sound of Newt's voice, sitting up. Newt joined them on the floor, crossing his long legs underneath him and looked from Thomas to Minho.  
'Alright shanks. Tell me. How the bloody hell did you survive a night in the maze?'


	10. An Awkward Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas announces he wants to be a runner and Newt isn't sure how to handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! Hope you're all enjoying the fic! Finally some Newtmas action in this chapter! I'm not completely happy with this chapter but I'm suffering some serious writer's block so please bear with me!

Newt listened intently, never once butting in while Thomas and Minho recounted their night in the maze, from the moment the maze doors closed until the moment they opened. Once the Gladers had finished telling their story, they sat back and looked expectantly at Newt. Newt ran his hands through his floppy, blonde hair, staring back at his two friends, shock recognisable is his large brown eyes.   
'So you're telling me, the only reason you shanks made it out of the maze is because of this Greenie who has been here all of 24 hours?'   
Thomas smiled sheepishly, while Minho nodded his head vigorously. 'I'm telling you Newt, Thomas, he was amazing out there. I've never seen anything like it. Those grievers were coming for us and I turned and ran like a little girl. Thomas stood there and took them on.' Minho exclaimed in awe. 'He not only saved mine and Alby's lives, but he's the only one of us ever to kill a Griever. Ever. That's worth something Newt.'

Newt sat, looking thoughtfully between Thomas and Minho.   
'You're right. Thomas, I'll be forever grateful for you saving these two shanks lives.' He said, nodding towards Minho and hooking is thumb over his shoulder towards Alby's room.   
Minho and Thomas exchanged smiles, Minho clapping Thomas on the back.   
'However.' Newt continued, holding a hand up to stop the boys celebration. 'Tommy, man. You broke the number one rule of the Glade- you don't leave unless you're a bloody runner and in case you forgot, you aren't.'   
'Yeah but-' Minho tried to reason. Newt cut him off. 'But nothing. I'm going to call a meeting tonight and we'll decide what to do. Minho, you'll tell everyone what happened and how Thomas saved your life, and hopefully we can decide on a reasonable punishment.'  
Minho tried to argue, but this time it was Thomas who cut him off. 'Minho relax. I broke the rules. I'll deal with the punishment. But I have one condition.'  
Newt had to laugh at Thomas’ nerve. 'Tommy I don't think you're in any position to be making conditions'   
'Just hear me out Newt. I want to be a runner.'  
Minho cheered, clapping Thomas on the back and Newt raised his eyebrows in surprise.   
'We could use a shank like him in our crew' Minho said, nodding his head in Thomas' direction. Newt looked into Minho's dark eyes, his eyes full of sincerity.   
'Look. I'll raise it at the meeting, but I don't think it's a good idea. It's dangerous out there and we don't need to risk anyone else's lives.'  
Minho scoffed and a look of disappointment flashed across Thomas' face.  
'Alright shuck-faces, you get some sleep and be ready for the meeting tonight. I've got to get to work.'  
Newt gave the boys a stern look and turned to leave the room. Once he was almost at the doorway, Newt heard a scuffle and then a whisper. 'Don't worry shank, you'll be a runner, Newt can't resist my beautiful eyes and charming smile.' Newt scowled when he heard Thomas chuckle softly in response to Minho's ridiculous retort. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Newt spent the rest of the day out in the gardens. He was tense and slightly frustrated after his talk with his friends this morning. While he was glad to see they were okay, and awed to hear what Thomas had done, he was furious at the thought that Thomas wanted to go into the maze again. He channelled his anger into his working, chopping wood for the nightly bonfires. Angrily slamming the axe down on tree branch after tree branch, Newt's mind was filled with thoughts of Thomas’ revelation. A runner. The thought was buggin’ ridiculous.   
The more he chopped, the more Newt felt his anger slipping away. He jumped when he heard someone speak from behind him. ‘It’s not a griever Newt, just a piece of wood, no need to attack it like a madman’. Newt swung around at the sound of Thomas’ laugh. ‘Jesus Tommy, you almost gave me a bloody heart attack!’ Newt exclaimed. Thomas shrugged, a broad smile stretched across his face. ‘So, are you going to put that down?’ Thomas asked apprehensively looking down at the sharp axe resting in Newt’s hands. Newt laughed, unable to help himself and placed the axe at his feet, pulling up his t-shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. As he lowered his shirt back down over his stomach, he caught Thomas’ eye. Thomas quickly averted his gaze and flushed a furious shade of red, clearly embarrassed at having been caught staring at Newt’s lean, but toned stomach. Newt’s own cheeks turned a soft shade of pink at the thought of Thomas’ eyes running over his torso. ‘It’s nothing’ he told himself. ‘He was probably just looking at your scar, and even if he wasn’t, why would you care?’

‘It’s a beast isn’t it?’ Newt asked, lifting his shirt once again and running a finger along the long, thin scar on his stomach.   
Thomas stepped closer and extended his arm to touch Newt, but dropped it quickly, as if rethinking his actions.   
‘What happened?’ Thomas asked softly.   
‘Griever’ Newt replied indifferently, shrugging his shoulders and dropping his shirt. ‘I was lucky I wasn’t stung, but I got a good swipe. I was out of actions for days. George wasn’t so lucky…’ Newt tried as hard as he could to keep emotions from flooding his face. Thomas didn’t need to know just how many people Newt had seen killed. Thomas nodded sadly, as if understanding Newt didn’t want to talk about it and wisely decided to change the subject… Even if the new subject also turned out to be something Newt didn’t want to talk about.   
‘Look Newt, I need you to hear me out.’ Thomas pleaded. Newt studied Thomas’ serious expression, wondering what he was talking about. ‘I know you don’t want to hear it, but this is it. I need you to back me at the meeting tonight. You said that you were going to announce that Minho wants to train me as a runner, but Minho and I have been talking and we know people aren’t going to be happy. We need you to help us convince them.’

Newt shrugged his shoulders, annoyed once again. ‘Tommy. I said I’d do what I said I’d do. I’m not making any promises. Not to you and not to Minho.’ Newt had expected Thomas to back off, after all, Newt’s word was one of the most respected in the Glade… but then again, Thomas hadn’t been in the Glade for long. Thomas took a step closer to Newt as Newt held his breath, waiting to hear Thomas’ wrath, but it never came. Before Newt knew what was happening, Thomas had ducked forward and pressed his lips firmly to Newt’s. All of Newt’s rational thoughts flew out the window, and his body took over. Newt’s hand’s wound their way into Thomas’ dark, soft hair and Thomas tightened his grip on Newt’s waist as their lips melded together, quick and fierce with only an intensity two teenage boys could manage.   
It was over as suddenly as it had started, leaving both of the boys standing close, lips parted. ‘Sorry’ Thomas whispered, still standing so close that Newt could feel Thomas’ breath on his cheek. Newt didn’t, couldn’t, respond. So he did the only thing he could do… the only thing someone who had just kissed a boy for the first time in their life could do… he laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed. Eventually, Thomas got over his shock and laughed along too. Both only calmed once they heard the other Glader’s begin to make their way to the fire for dinner. Newt nudged Thomas softly, breaking the silence. ‘Hungry?’ He asked, blatantly avoiding any talk of what had happened just moments before. Thomas smiled gratefully, clearly thankful he hadn’t been punched in the face for making a move on one of the most respected Gladers in this strange little community. ‘Yeah, I am’. Without another word, both boys turned and began to walk towards the chatter of the rest of the group, arms bumping casually as they walked side by side and a slight note of tension hanging in the air.


	11. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the Keepers to decide Thomas' fate. Should he be punished for ignoring the Gladers' rules and running into the maze?

Dinner felt as though things were settling back to normal in the Glade. Well, as normal as things can be with their leader on his death bed. There was a constant chatter around the fire and Newt was more than happy to be sitting by Thomas, their arms brushing against each other every so often. He couldn’t help but notice his heart pounding harder than usual in his chest and the blood that rushed through his ears. While Newt felt content to be sitting there by Thomas, one thing was for sure, he was confused about what had happened earlier today, oh boy was he confused. The kiss had been nice. More than nice actually, but Newt couldn’t remember whether he’d ever kissed anyone, so maybe that’s just what kissing felt like with both boys and girls. He furrowed his brow. For a moment he considering asking Minho for some advice but he could almost laugh at the absurdity of that idea. Minho would laugh until the cows came home and then laugh some more.

Newt shook his head, resolving to think about it later, once Thomas’ fate was decided by the group leaders and there was a little less to worry about. Newt wasn’t too worried. While some keepers were harder than others and this Glade was run by all of them, currently Newt had the most influence and he was sure he’d be able to sway the group one way or another.

Once the Glader’s had almost finished eating, Newt leaned into Thomas, briefly enjoying the sturdiness of Thomas’ lean upper body, before lowering his voice. ‘These meetings…They can get a bit out of hand. Everyone has an opinion, so you need to keep your cool and only speak when spoken to. Okay Tommy?’ Thomas nodded curtly, as Newt stood up and began to head to a small makeshift structure towards the Deadheads. Thomas stood up to follow him, and he noticed, so did several other Gladers, Minho included.   
Newt entered the shack and waited for the keepers to take their seats around him. Thomas stood beside him quietly, more subdued than Newt had ever seen him. Newt was unable to resist giving him a quick wink and leaned back against the tall table covered in scraps of paper at the front of the room. The last to amble into the dark, wooden room was Gally and Newt set his gaze on him, trying to determine how this was going to go. Newt got an indicator of Gally’s mood pretty quickly, as he reached the last chair and threw himself down on it with a loud thud, making the Gladers on each side of him wince. Newt shook his head slightly before calling the Gladers to attention. 

Newt quickly explained the task at hand, determining an appropriate punishment for Thomas, and then called Minho up to the front of the room to recount his night in the maze. Newt silently praised Minho for his enthusiasm and awe of Thomas, emphasising Thomas’ role in their survival. This was exactly what the keepers needed to hear right before they decided on Thomas’ punishment. Just as Minho reached the end of his story, the moment the Glade doors re-opened, he was interrupted by Gally’s booming voice. Newt scoffed as everyone in the room turned to Gally. ‘Yeah that’s all very well and good Minho,’ he spat with enough venom to fill a griever, ‘but how do we know you’re telling the truth? And even if you are, it doesn’t change anything, this shank,’ he pointed roughly at Thomas, ‘disrespected OUR rules. He took it upon himself to decide what he could and couldn’t do. That is not on. We’ve never stood for it before and we won’t stand for it now.’ Gally finished his rant, abruptly crossing his arms. His outburst was followed by a soft murmur of agreement by the surrounding keepers.   
‘I didn’t disrespect anything!’ Thomas protested angrily, before Newt caught his eye and shook his head. ‘Do not speak unless spoken to Tommy.’ Newt murmured quietly out of the side of his mouth, only loud enough for Thomas to hear. Thomas nodded curtly, a stoic expression crossing his face, replacing the look of fury Newt had just caught a glimpse of.

Newt fixed his own cold stare on Gally and looked down at him. ‘It’s one thing to question a Greenie, but questioning a fellow Glader?’ he asked coldly. Gally didn’t respond, merely shifting in his seat, a hardened expression on his face. Newt shook his head annoyed, before turning to address the rest of the keepers.  
‘The question isn’t whether or not it happened,’ he spoke, loudly and clearly, the air of authority leaving no doubt amongst the Gladers as to who was in charge. ‘It’s about what we’re going to do about it.’ Another quiet murmur went through the room as Newt stood defiantly, broad shoulders squared and eyebrow cocked.   
Frypan, the Glade’s cook, stood up, nodding his chin in Thomas’ direction. ‘I don’t think he should be punished to be honest. He saved Alby’s life. He killed a Griever and he didn’t even think twice about running into that maze. We need people like him.’ Frypan’s comment was not met with much enthusiasm. As Frypan sat down, Winston stood up. ‘That’s just ridiculous. Of course he should be punished and in case you’re forgetting, he didn’t save Alby’s life. Alby is lying half dead and completely delirious in the homestead right now.’ The Glader’s on either side of Winston nodded and Gally made a sound of agreement from the back of the room. Newt held up his hand, silencing the group. ‘Okay Shanks, we could go on all night like this, so how about we take a vote; if majority agrees to punish Tommy, he spends one night in the Slammer and if majority says he shouldn’t be punished, then we don’t punish him?’ Gally stood up furious and ready to protest before the Glader beside him placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Gally’s brow furrowed, before smoothing and a nasty smile crossed his face. He sat back down, without another word and Newt’s stomach churned. That was not good. 

‘All those for punishing Thomas?’ Newt asked, shaking off the eerie feeling and surveying the hands that went up around the room. He turned around and gave a small smile to Thomas and Minho. ‘Sorry Tommy,’ he said. ‘Looks like it’s unanimous.’ Thomas shrugged his shoulders and Newt directed two of the keepers to lead Thomas away to the Slammer.   
Once he was gone, Newt turned to the remaining keepers. His face hardened into a fierce expression, gone his usual cheeky smile. ‘Thomas is going to be a runner. He spends one night in the slammer and then he goes out with Minho. It's not up for discussion.’ As Newt expected, there was almost an instant uproar. Newt ignored them, turning his back and padding out of the room, Minho stomping along behind him.   
They walked to the middle of the Glade together, before Minho broke off and headed towards the gardens, where it had become almost a ritual for he and Newt to find a soft patch of grass and settle in for the night under the stars. Newt did not follow him, heading for the homestead. He surprised even himself when he stopped just outside the slammer. He sat down and crossed his long legs, looking down into the cage.


	12. A Night in the Slammer and a Day in the Maze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas spends the night in the slammer and the following day in the maze. Newt can't get Thomas off his mind, will things come to a head when Thomas arrives back in the Glade?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying the fic and loving Newt and Thomas' developing relationship as much as I am! This chapter is a long-ish one compared to usual and I am posting a bit early because I have a big week ahead so I'm not sure if I'll be able to post any later! I hope you enjoy the new chapter and the new Newt/Thomas action!

‘Hey.’ Newt called softly down into the dark ditch. He was met with a bright smile that made his stomach flip. ‘Hey.’ Thomas responded, moving into the moonlight so that Newt could see him more clearly in the shallow, dark ditch, the opening covered by a sturdy, homemade gate.  
‘Sorry about that Tommy, it’s just the way things have to happen around him’ Newt said, smiling apologetically.   
Thomas shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. ‘I understand, besides, it’s only one night.’Newt gave a short nod, unsure what to say next. ‘So what happened after I left?’ Thomas asked, filling the silence. Newt gave Thomas a wolfish grin. ‘You got it, you’re a runner.’ Thomas’ jaw dropped and Newt chuckled. ‘What?’ Thomas asked disbelievingly, stepping closer to the bars separating him and Newt. ‘I spoke to the guys, man’ Newt spoke through the bars, ‘You’re in. You start tomorrow. You’ll leave the Glade early tomorrow morning and run with Minho.’ Thomas let out a loud whoop and reached a hand through the bars. Newt slapped his outstretched hand and the two teens grinned at each other. Newt studied Thomas’ face. He supposed Thomas was quite handsome, by the Glader’s standards anyway. He had dark hair, a strong jawline and a perfect set of pearly white teeth. He wasn’t bad to look at at all. 

Newt realised Thomas was waiting for a response. He coughed loudly, shaking his head and the thoughts away. ‘What was that Tommy?’ Thomas laughed, shaking his head. He once more reached a hand through the bars and placed it on Newt’s knee that was resting just centimetres away. ‘I just wanted to say thanks. I know I can do this. I know I can get us out of here.’ He said with determination. Newt placed an unsure hand on top of Thomas’ and squeezed before quickly removing his hand. ‘Don’t mention it Tommy.’ Thomas retracted his hand as Newt made to stand up. Once Newt was upright he leaned down and placed his forehead against the bars of the slammer. ‘Be careful tomorrow Tommy.’ He was rewarded with another one of Thomas’ bright smiles, before he turned and headed towards the gardens.  
As Newt walked with his hands in his pockets, one still a little swollen and very sore, he found himself grinning. He tread lightly across the thick, soft grass, his thoughts only interrupted once reaching Minho’s sleeping, snoring form. Newt threw himself down beside Minho, a small grin still on his face. He stretched out, snuggling into the grass and placed his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and immediately his mind filled with flashes of the day that was now coming to a close. Newt replayed the relief he had felt at being reunited with Minho and Thomas, the outcome of the meeting and in particular, that kiss. What a kiss it was…  
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Newt awoke to the sun on his face, warming his entire form. He glanced to the side, surprised to discover Minho had already gone, all that was left in his wake was a Minho-sized, crumpled patch of grass. Newt stretched his arms up to the clear blue sky, groaning in satisfaction as his bones clicked and popped. He thought about laying back down for a few moments longer, but his hunger got the better of him. Newt stood up and made his way to the homestead for breakfast. 

Stopping several times along the way to speak to fellow Glader’s, Newt finally reached the homestead. As Newt sat and ate his breakfast he found his thoughts straying to Thomas and Minho. Newt caught himself before he could be seen grinning into his porridge. He hoped Minho wasn’t too hard on Thomas on his first day, because while the Minho most Glader’s knew was the fun, loveable goofball, in the maze there was no room for jokes. Newt’s thoughts once again strayed to the kiss the day before. After having had 24 hours to consider, Newt was positive he’d like to do it again. He didn’t know why and to be honest he didn’t care. There was something about Thomas that he found so incredibly consuming. He’d lived here years now and not once felt any attraction to another Glader, but that was before Thomas. Newt leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. Perhaps he could get Thomas alone when he got back from the maze tonight. Newt shook his head softly, still grinning to himself as he finished his breakfast.

Newt was surprised at how quickly the day went and before he knew it Thomas and Minho were sprinting back through the maze doors. Newt grinned and made his way over to them. ‘Alright shanks?’ he asked. Minho threw him a thumbs up, guzzling water from his bottle while Thomas collapsed onto the grass beside them. Newt and Minho peered down at him and laughed. ‘Everything you dreamed of Tommy boy?’ Newt asked. Thomas’ only response was to stick his tongue out the side of his mouth and throw his arm dramatically over his face. This caused Newt to laugh again and Minho to aim a soft kick at Thomas’ side. Newt turned to Minho and asked how the day in the maze was. Minho lowered his eyes and shook his head. ‘No luck.’ Newt nodded absently, not having expected anything new. It had been months since any of the runner’s had spotted a change in the maze and years since any of them had a real hope of finding a way out. 

Minho kicked Thomas again and Thomas only grunted in response. ‘Come on shank,’ Minho called, ‘we’ve gotta get mapping.’ At that order, Thomas dragged himself upright to see Minho’s retreating figure. He went to follow before pausing next to Newt, ‘I’ll see you later?’ he asked with a sheepish smile. Newt nodded and clapped a hand on Thomas’ shoulder. ‘Sure thing Tommy, I’ll save you a patch of grass.’ Thomas gave a deep chuckle that made Newt’s smile broaden. Thomas turned on his heel and began to walk after Minho, who was heading towards the small, wooden structure where the runner’s met after each day in the maze to discuss and map any changes.   
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The next time Newt saw Thomas, he was wandering towards Newt who, true to his word, had saved a spot for Thomas close to the fire. Thomas collapsed beside Newt, giving him a roguish smile. Newt’s stomach churned and he found himself shifting to position himself closer to Thomas. ‘So,’ Newt called over the noise of the Gladers’ conversations drifting around the fire, ‘how was the maze?’ Thomas leaned back on his elbows and turned his head towards Newt. ‘It was big.’ He said seriously. ‘I think we can go further though, Minho and I think we might have a new lead.’ Newt nodded along as Thomas spoke. He admired Thomas’ hope, but a new lead wasn’t likely. ‘What?’ Thomas asked, noticing the sceptical look Newt wore. Newt shook his head. ‘Nothing.’ Thomas didn’t look convinced. After a few moments of silence, Thomas spoke again. ‘Do you miss it?’ Newt almost choked on the water he had been swigging. ‘Miss what Tommy?’ he asked, thumping himself on the chest. ‘The maze.’ Thomas answered matter-of-factly. Newt’s face glazed over, a stormy expression replacing his previous look of contentment. ‘Absolutely not.’ Newt crossed his arms, veins bulging as he tensed his fists. Thomas didn’t respond, seemingly knowing better than to push the subject. 

After several minutes of stony silence, Newt stood up. It was now or never. ‘Do you want to go for a walk?’ he said, gazing down at Thomas. Thomas gave him a wide smile and held his hand out. Newt grasped it, pulling Thomas upright. Newt led the way from the fire, heading towards the deadheads where the two boys could have some privacy. Thomas fell in step beside him and they padded along quietly leaving the sounds of the other Gladers’ far behind them. Just as they stepped into the deadheads, Newt felt a hand on his arm pull him back. He spun around to find Thomas standing very close to him. ‘Hey.’ Thomas breathed softly, his breath tickling Newt’s face. ‘Hey.’ Newt whispered back. Newt held his breath as Thomas ran soft, feathery fingers down the length of Newt’s arm and intertwined their hands. ‘Is this okay?’ he asked, still whispering. Newt laughed, surprised at Thomas’ shyness. An expression of mock hurt crossed Thomas’ face. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, ‘I’ve never done this before.’ Newt quirked an eyebrow. ‘Done what Tommy?’ he asked, slightly confused. ‘Um,’ Thomas staggered, ‘liked a boy. Kissed a boy. Held hands with a boy.’ Newt nodded seriously and reached his free hand to grasp Thomas’ free hand. ‘Neither have I Tommy.’ Thomas looked relieved and with that teensy confidence boost, leaned into Newt. Their lips locked and Newt found himself smiling into Thomas’ mouth. He let go of Thomas’ hands and grasped his hips, pulling him closer. Thomas reached up one hand and grasped Newt hair softly. Newt was unable to stop a small groan escaping his lips as he pushed Thomas softly against the nearest tree. Newt began to run his hand up Thomas’ back before Thomas pulled away. 

Newt pulled back to gaze at Thomas’ flushed face. He raised his eyebrows, questioning Thomas. Thomas looked down and shuffled his feet. ‘What are we doing Newt?’ Newt took another step back, surprised. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. ‘I thought we were kissing Tommy.’ He said, somewhat exasperatedly. Thomas shook his head, evidently holding back a small smile. ‘No I mean. Why?’ That stumped Newt for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I dunno. It’s nice isn’t it?’ Thomas gave a small nod, but held up his hands as Newt went to step in close once again. ‘What is it this time?’ Newt asked with a hint of annoyance playing in his heavy English accent. Thomas shook his head. ‘Does this mean anything?’ Newt let out a breath of air exasperatedly. ‘No. Yes. I don’t know. Do we need to talk about this right now?’ Newt knew that they needed to talk about this, but he was somewhat eager to get back to the kissing. Thomas shook his head, ‘I guess not. I mean. The kissing is nice.’ Newt laughed and placed a small kiss to Thomas’ lips. ‘It is Tommy. It really is.’


	13. A Night Of Horrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will Thomas and Newt react when one of their closest friends discovers their secret?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I'm so late on updating, I have been so busy lately and every time I sit down to write I've had terrible writers block! I've been doing a lot of planning for this fic though, so any future chapters should hopefully be on time! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you love the new chapter (I love a bit of cheeky Minho), please feel free to leave any comments, suggestions or feedback in the comments section!

‘Oh no. Nuh-uh!’ Thomas and Newt flew apart instantly at hearing the voice. Newt spun around to find Minho standing metres away, half hidden behind a tree, both hands over his eyes. ‘Uh. You guys done yet?’ Newt scowled at him in response. ‘Yes you shank, open your bloody eyes.’ Minho didn’t move. ‘Uh. No thank you. I don’t think I want to see any more of that.’ Newt closed the few metres distance between them, ripping Minho’s hands away from his face. Minho looked up at his friend, eyes wide in shock. ‘Is there something you’d like to say?’ Newt asked expectantly, looking down at his friend. Minho looked over Newt’s shoulder to see Thomas smile sheepishly at him. ‘You guys?’ he asked. Newt shrugged his shoulders, a small smile playing on his lips. ‘I guess.’ Minho looked lost for a minute, looking back and forth between the two teens before him, before finally letting out a large laugh. ‘You guys?!’ he laughed breathlessly, unable to stop. His laughter soon became infectious and Newt found himself laughing along while Thomas looked on bewildered. 

Newt, still laughing, punched Minho lightly on the arm while Minho doubled over laughing. ‘Who would have known? You, into other shanks.’ He said, catching his breath. ‘Hey.’ Newt warned, his humorous expression turning stony. Minho held up his hands in innocence and began to back away. ‘Look, I hope you two don’t mind, but I’m going to need to go and bang my head again a couple of rocks to get that image out of my head.’ Newt took a menacing step towards him as Thomas scowled. Minho picked up his pace, spinning around and walking quickly away from the deadheads. Just when they thought he had gone, Thomas and Newt heard his voice calling back over his shoulder, ‘Just make sure you use protection or something! Stay safe!’ followed by another bout of Minho’s infectious giggling. Newt growled, but by now Minho was long gone.   
Newt turned his attention back to Thomas who was looking sceptically after Minho. ‘Hey,’ Newt said softly, grasping Thomas’ chin and turning his head to face him. ‘Don’t worry about him. He’s a bloody shank, but he’s a good friend. He’s not going to tell anyone. At least, I don’t think he will.’ He rubbed Thomas’ jaw with his thumb and ducked down to press a light kiss again Thomas’ lips, but Thomas still looked unsure. Newt sighed and grabbed Thomas’ hand. ‘Come on then Tommy, you’ve gotta get to bed. Another big day of running tomorrow.’ This made Thomas smile, as though he’d forgotten the possibility of finding an escape route. Newt smiled in return, lacing his fingers through Thomas’ and pulling him along. 

The two boys walked, their hands swinging between them and the only sound was their footsteps crunching through dead leaves. Newt snuck a glance at Thomas striding along beside him. His heart thumped loudly as he noticed the silly grin Thomas was wearing as he looked ahead. Newt turned away and continued to walk, trying to hide a small grin himself. 

As they walked hand in hand they were covered by the dark sky, but as they approached the homestead Newt reluctantly let go of Thomas’ hand, giving it a final squeeze. Thomas squeezed back before letting go. The two reached the homestead where they stopped outside. They stood apart, not wanting to draw any attention from the fellow Glader’s still milling around. ‘Minho and I sleep out in the gardens, if you’re ever interested?’ Newt offered. Thomas flashed him a smile. ‘Thanks, maybe I will one night, but tonight I told Chuck I’d catch up with him.’ He nodded his head towards the homestead. Newt nodded. ‘Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow when you get back? Stay safe okay Tommy.’ Newt finished his goodbye with a manly cough, feeling uncomfortable with this level of intimacy. Thomas promised he’d be careful and turned to enter the structure. 

Newt made his way to the gardens, another day done and dusted in the Glade. He sighed, finally feeling like maybe there was something worth getting out of this bloody maze for. Thomas. Newt reached Minho’s still figure and he aimed a kick at his side. ‘I know you’re not asleep you shank.’ He said loudly. Minho groaned, clutching his side and opened one eye. ‘What gave me away?’ Newt shook his head good naturedly and lay back next to Minho. Newt took a breath, about to speak before Minho all but shouted at him. ‘Oh no, nuh-uh! We’re not doing this?’ Newt cocked his head sideways to look at his friend. ‘Doing what?’ Minho sat up and crossed his arms like a petulant child. ‘We are not having a heart to heart. I don’t care about you and Thomas but I don’t want to hear it.’   
‘Bu-‘ Newt started but Minho cut him off by throwing his hands up and stuffing his fingers in his ears, yelling nonsense loudly. Newt sighed heavily and flipped Minho the finger. Minho took his fingers out of his ears cautiously and slowly lowered his arms. ‘Okay.’ Newt gave in, ‘No talking about it.’ Minho gave a satisfied smile and Newt shook his head lightly, both boys lowering themselves back down into the grass.  
Newt was thankful Minho didn’t have an issue with him and Thomas, it was strange enough for Newt that he liked another boy, let alone having people know about it. He felt immense relief pulse through him as he lay there beside his best friend and he closed his eyes to the beautiful, star-filled sky and awaited sleep to come.   
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Both boys were awakened sooner than they could have expected. Like days before, neither boy could tell what had awoken them and they looked at each other confused. Newt sat still and glanced around the dark gardens before making out a noise in the clear night air. He jumped up immediately, Minho a second later, both suddenly realising what that noise was. They set off at a run, panic coursing through Newt as he ran towards the yelling and screaming of his fellow Gladers. 

As the boys drew closer to the screaming, they saw a sight that nearly caused Newt to double over and be sick. For a moment both boys stopped, taking in the sight. The homestead that both boys had come to know as the heart of the Glade was alight. Newt watched on as flames licked at the sides of the building and various Glader’s scrambled in every direction. Newt looked away shocked as he saw a boy on the second floor preparing to jump from a window, a room alight behind him. Newt glanced sideways at Minho, taking in the look of horror that he was sure was mirrored on his own face. Both boys started towards the homestead, before Newt stopped in his tracks. He felt his heart stop and looked at Minho with a horrified expression. His mouth went dry but he did his best to croak out two words. ‘Thomas. Alby.’


	14. A Fire, A Rescue and Several Deaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Minho risk everything in order to save Thomas and Alby, will they be successful?

Without another word both teenagers forced themselves forward, racing towards the homestead. As Newt ran he could barely hear the screams and shouts of fellow Glader’s over the blood rushing past his ears. He needed to get to Thomas and Alby. He shielded his eyes trying to block out the blindingly bright flames lapping the roof of the house. The two Glader’s kept running, finally reaching the homestead and making to run through the door. They instantly realised that wasn’t an option. 

Newt looked around panicked, looking for another entrance after seeing the door to the structure barred by debris that had fallen from the floor above. He heard a high-pitched whistle and turned to his left. Minho was in the process of smashing his way through the kitchen window, Newt scrambled to follow pulling himself through the window and into the flaming house. Instantly his eyes watered and he breathed in a deep breath of burning hot smoke. Newt coughed and pulled his t-shirt up to cover his mouth. Minho did the same and both boys crouched low, heading quickly for the stairs and out of the relatively untouched kitchen. At the stairs to the second floor, both boys were relieved to see that they were too, so far untouched, but Newt knew they didn’t have much time before the whole place was engulfed in flames. He signaled to Minho and Minho understood straight away. The boys split, Minho heading upstairs for Alby and Newt running to the back of the homestead in search of Thomas. 

As he ran through to the back room where several boys usually sheltered each night, Newt only passed one other Glader. The boy was scarpering towards Newt wearing a frightened expression. Newt gestured towards the kitchen and fiercely shoved the younger boy in the right direction before continuing quickly to the back room. As Newt reached the back room, his eyes streamed with tears. The room was completely covered in a thick sheen of black smoke, making it near impossible to see. He ran into the room, stepping over what he hoped was just another pile of rubble. He glanced around blearily, trying to make out any familiar shapes, before finally spotting a figure moving slowly towards him. Newt ran at full speed towards the figure, ignoring the painful stinging sensation in his eyes and the gradual heat beginning to sear his skin. ‘Help!’ the shape called to him before being seized by a coughing fit. Newt knew instantly that it was Chuck, which left him with only one question, where was Thomas? He came closer to Chuck, finally able to make out his face, and discovered the reason he was moving so slowly.

Newt clenched his fists and knelt down putting two fingers to the throat of the boy he had just hours before held in a loving embrace. Newt almost collapsed in relief as he felt an unconscious Thomas’ pulse thump against his fingers. For a moment he forgot that he was in the midst of a life or death situation inside a structure that could at any minute give way. He was pulled back into the present only at Chuck’s loud, frightened shout as the roof began to cave in above them. ‘The window is blocked!’ Chuck screamed in a hoarse voice, gesturing to the only window in the room. Newt followed Chuck’s petrified gaze to find with much dismay that debris made it impossible to escape through the window just metres away. Newt knew that the only way out would be back through the window at the front of the house, he just hoped that there was enough time to get there. ‘Let’s go! Kitchen! Crouch low and cover your face with your shirt!’ Newt screamed at Chuck. Chuck gestured to Thomas frantically and Newt shoved him towards the doorway, leaning down and hoisting Thomas into his arms. Newt staggered under Thomas’ weight but there was no way he could let go, this was the only way to get Thomas out of the house. He limped towards Chuck waiting at the doorway and together they made their way down the hallway at a much slower pace than Newt would have liked. 

Dodging several piece of falling debris along the way, the two boys and their unconscious friend finally made it to the kitchen. Chuck scrambled out of the window first, calling over several other Glader’s quickly to help pull Thomas out of the house as flames began to spread into the kitchen. Newt all but threw Thomas out of the window and to the waiting Glader’s before hoisting himself up and out of the window, just as the kitchen roof came down in what seemed like thousands of burning pieces of wood. Newt collapsed outside of the window, dropping to his hands and knees, puffing as he rested his head against the cool, soft grass. Around him the shouting and screaming had stopped, with barely a sound but the roaring of the fire and a loud cracking noise as the house began to fall in on itself. 

After a minute, Newt pushed himself backwards into a sitting position and taking in his surrounds. Around him, Glader’s stood and watched on as the house burned, their shocked faces blackened with smoke and soot, several nursing injuries and burns. Next to him Chuck hovered over Thomas, checking his pulse and any injuries. Chuck gave a small smile. ‘He’s okay. I really think he’s okay!’ Newt nodded, brushing the hair away from Thomas’ face softly and resisting the urge to place a kiss on his forehead, before standing up and moving away. In all of the panic, Newt had almost forgotten that he was now the leader of the Glade and he was accountable for his fellow Glader’s. 

Newt checked in with several Glader’s, each as shocked and exhausted as the next. The injuries of the first few Glader’s were not severe and Newt was thankful as he knew that in the Glade they did not have the means to mend many injuries worse than a scratch or a bloody nose. Newt should have known that there would be some more serious injuries, he really should have. It was a serious accident after all, but it wasn’t until he had made his way around a third of the group until he came to a group of boys standing quietly, tears dripping silently down their faces. They made space for Newt as they saw his tall frame approaching in the darkness.

Newt opened his mouth to speak before Adam stepped forward. ‘Franky and Siggy didn’t make it out.’ He said, his voice cracking. Newt shook his head in horror. ‘How did this happen?’ He whispered, looking around the group. The boys shook their heads. ‘One second we were sleeping. The next the whole place was alight.’ Adam said, the only one seemingly capable of speaking so soon after the ordeal. Newt didn’t respond, his face fixed in a grim gaze. Finally he squeezed Adam softly on the shoulder before continuing on to several other Glader’s mulling around. 

The more he trailed around the group, the worse the news got. Newt did his best to contain his tears as the news was broken to him that 2 more Glader’s had been killed, one a relatively new addition to the Glade and the other someone Newt had known ever since he had arrived. Newt was exhausted and struggling to contain his emotions as he reached the final group of boys. Newt was horrified to see two figures resting on the ground, surrounded by several boys. Newt closed his eyes and dropped to his knees beside them. He placed a hand on the chest of one of his closest friends. Alby was stone cold. ‘He was gone when I got there, but I couldn’t leave him.’ Newt heard Minho whisper. He turned around, taking in his best friends broken expression, tear tracks visible on his soot stained face. Newt didn’t respond, unable to comprehend the tragedy, he just pressed his forehead to Alby's chest and let out a choked sob. He sobbed into Alby's chest quietly for a few moments, before composing himself.

Without letting go of Alby, Newt turned his gaze to the second figure laying on the ground and was again racked with grief. Jeff, the glade’s med-jack that Newt had spoken to just hours before, was laying still, several nasty burns visible on his limp body. He reached across to take his pulse but a hand stopped him. Newt looked up into the eyes of Clint, Jeff’s best friend. ‘He’s gone too.’ Clint whispered. Newt nodded, roughly brushing a stray tear from his face and standing up. ‘A memorial,’ he croaked, ‘we need to have a memorial.’ This idea was met with a murmur of agreement. 

Newt finally looked away from the two boys below him and looked around the group into the pale, exhausted faces of his friends. He stood up tall and whistled loudly to get the entire groups attention. Each Glader turned their eyes to him. ‘Let’s get some rest boys. It’s been a rough night, the worst we’ve ever had in the Glade. We’ve lost a lot of great guys,’ Newt tried to keep his voice from wavering as he continued on, ‘Work tomorrow is off. We’ve got this to clean up and there’s…’ he paused, ‘bodies to burn.’


	15. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt deals with the aftermath of the fire.

The next morning Newt awoke disoriented. He glanced around blearily trying to distinguish his surroundings when the events of the previous night came flooding back. He and Minho had not returned to the gardens that night, instead all of the boys slumbered in the middle of the Glade around their usually eating spot. Thomas had still been unconscious when Newt and Minho finally lay down for the night and turning to the side, and Newt could see that his condition hadn’t changed.

Newt dragged himself upwards, not at all surprised to see almost every Glader still unmoving around him. He wasn’t sure that anyone had the slept the previous night, Newt himself spent the night curled on his side tears streaming down his face as he listened to the soft sobs of the Glader’s around him. Sometimes it was hard to put on a brave face in this place, and if anyone knew that, it was Newt. He cringed, thinking of that fateful night he had leapt from the wall a year earlier and rubbed his face vigorously with his hands, determined to not let those thoughts invade his mind again. He was doing better, he had Thomas, he had Minho and he had a job to do.   
By the time the rest of the Glader’s rose several hours later, Newt had begun to create a sizeable pyre off in the large stretching field of green grass. One by one the rest of the Glader’s came to his aid and eventually the Glade was buzzing with rough voices and soft laughter. Newt himself couldn’t help a small smile playing on his face, these Glader’s were tougher than he had remembered. Of course they were going to get through this. 

Eventually the Glader’s stopped for lunch and Newt took it as an opportunity to go and check on Thomas and the rest of the injured being tended to by a very miserable looking Clint, with the assistance of a very determined Chuck. As Newt made his way to the temporary infirmary his ears perked up and he picked up his pace. He reached the infirmary unable to contain the grin on his face. The object of his attention turned to face him and returned his grin.  
‘You’re awake.’ Newt said softly, making his way over to Thomas as he sat cross legged next to Chuck.   
‘I sure am,’ Thomas responded, ‘Chuck here fixed me right up.’ He said, clapping a grinning Chuck on the back.   
‘No, you’ve got the wrong person here,’ Chuck protested, ‘It was all Newt, without him neither of us would be here.’   
This comment seemed to surprise Thomas, so Newt assumed he hadn’t been awake for long enough to hear the retelling of the previous night’s events.   
‘Is that true?’ Thomas asked looking impressed.   
Newt shook his head. ‘No, Chuck’s just talking me up, he had as much to do with saving you as I did.’   
Chuck beamed up at the blonde boy and then at Thomas.   
Thomas grinned right back, before turning his attention to Newt.   
‘Is there anything I can do to help?  
Newt shook his head.  
‘The pyre is almost finished, we’re going to have a memorial service tonight before we get back to work tomorrow.’   
Thomas nodded slowly, and the two boys locked eyes. Newt studied Thomas’ face, and struggled to keep from beaming at the boy across from him. Newt could have looked at Thomas all day, but the teens were interrupted, forced to drag their eyes from one another.   
‘So Newt, when does work resume?’ Chuck asked, failing to notice the glare Thomas threw him. Newt stifled a laugh, turning to the younger boy. ‘Tomorrow,’ Newt responded, ‘And speaking of work I better go grab some lunch before finishing off this pyre.’ Newt let his eyes linger on Thomas’ noticing the small smile that played on Thomas’ lips before forcing himself to spin around and head to where Frypan was distributing the lunch. 

 

Newt didn’t see Thomas again until later that night, a solemn occasion for a meeting. The remaining Gladers crowed around the pyre, blank face. One by one Newt spoke the names of the boys they’d lost and Adam took on the job of chiselling these names into the side wall of the maze. A stench filled the air, turning the stomachs of the younger boys. Newt screwed up his nose and spun on his heel, marching off towards the gardens. What’s done was done, and he had planning to do. He stopped by the small structure in which the runners kept al of their supplies to pick up some paper and continued on. When he reached his haven he dropped to the ground and began to scratch out notes by the moonlight. His paper looked something like this:  
1\. Investigation- How did the fire start?  
2\. Clear- Start clearing rubble from homestead immediately   
3\. Rebuild- Assign Glader’s to rebuild homestead as soon as possible  
As Newt scratched out the last word on his paper he became very aware of someone standing directly behind him. He slowly lowered his notes, spinning quickly and grabbing the knees of the person behind him.   
‘Argh! Hey! What are you doing you shank?’ Newt stopped where he was, wrestling with the person underneath him. He peered closer, using the moonlight to identify Thomas. Thomas laughed at the surprised look on Newt’s face.   
‘I tried to get your attention but you seemed pretty engrossed.’ He said, still chuckling. Newt grinned down from his position on top of Thomas, pinning his arms beside his head. ‘You look a lot better’ he commented, and it was true. Thomas was looking much healthier after a day of rest, the colour restored to his cheeks. ‘I feel it too.’ Thomas responded. Silence followed. Newt rolled off Thomas, settling down to lay beside him. ‘Are you okay?’ Thomas asked softly. Newt didn’t answer immediately, reaching down to grab Thomas’ hand without quite knowing why. Thomas seemed to understand, giving it a soft squeeze. ‘I am now’ Newt thought.  
\-----------------------------------------  
Hours later, Newt awoke, a heavy object on his chest. He raised a tentative hand, only to find Thomas’ head. Newt smiled, and put his hand to Thomas’ hair, gently running his fingers through again and again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, I know what you're going to say. Where the heck have I been!? I am so sorry but life has just been absolutely hectic the past few months and I'm so happy that I was finally able to update! I know this is a very short chapter but I hope it's enough for now! I hope to post again very soon but as I said, life has just been huge. I wish I could write more but sometimes wanting to do something is just not enough!


	16. Investigations and Interrogations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work resumes in the Glade and Newt enlists Thomas' help to find the real cause of the fire.

The next day Newt organised the troops. He assigned a group of Glader’s to begin the task of clearing the rubble of the homestead before they started to rebuild. Around the rest of the Glade work resumed as normal. Minho and the other runners lined up as soon as the sun had risen, sprinting out of the Glade. Thomas watched longingly, not cleared to run until the following day. To entertain him, Newt requested Thomas’ help in beginning an investigation into the fire.

‘What makes you think it wasn’t an accident?’ Thomas asked as they sat against a log in the middle of the Glade, where Newt had a good vantage point of all of the Glader’s.   
Newt traced his finger absentmindedly along the ground.   
‘Call it a gut feeling Tommy, or maybe it’s just a kind of intuition you get after living here as many years as me. There is no way that homestead could have burnt down on its own.’ Thomas didn’t respond, thinking back to that night.   
‘We should start interviewing Glader’s about what they remember about the fire, but on the down low Tommy, I don’t want this to get out.’   
Thomas agreed and the boys decided to split up and meet again at lunch time to discuss any findings. Newt handed Thomas a list of Glader’s to speak to and reviewed his own. He had a good list of boys, all of the Glader’s he was sure to be helpful… all but one. 

Newt worked through his list quickly and casually, asking each boy several questions about what they remembered about the fire and where they were when it started, before moving onto the next boy on the list.   
Newt was on a roll when lunchtime came around he grabbed Thomas’ attention with a low whistle and waved him over.   
‘Tommy I’m going to keep working, I’ve only got a couple more, then we’ll meet up?’ Thomas nodded seriously.   
‘Yeah absolutely, I’m almost finished too. Boy do I have a lot to tell you.’  
Newt raised his eyebrows curiously.   
‘Really?’  
Thomas nodded again, rubbing his jaw absently. They said their goodbyes and Newt continued down his list, wondering at the back of his mind what Thomas could possibly have found out. 

At long last Newt reached the very last Glader on his list. Sure to be the most difficult, yet perhaps the most informative of all the boys Newt had interviewed. Newt wandered over to where the builders were working hard clearing the rubble of the homestead, took a deep breath and marched over to their keeper.   
‘Oi Gally.’   
Gally spun around, his face darkening when he spotted who was calling him. Newt took a step closer.   
‘I wanna ask you some questions.’   
Gally snorted. ‘And what makes you think I’ll answer them, shank?’   
Newt tried his best to contain his rage.   
‘I’m appointed leader and unless you want to spend a couple of nights in the slammer, you’re going to answer them.’   
Gally stiffened when he heard the threat, fury taking over his face, but he was silent. Newt took that as an invitation to begin his questioning.   
‘What can you tell me about what you remember about the fire Gally?’   
Newt had been very careful to phrase these questions in a way that made it seem as though no one was being accused, while still managing to account for everyone’s whereabouts at the time the fire began.   
Gally scowled. ‘I don’t remember nothing.’ He said stubbornly. Newt sighed.   
‘Well I think you do, so unless you do want to spend a few nights in the slammer, tell me.’   
Gally considered this.   
‘I was asleep in the back room when it started. I smelled smoke straight away and went to investigate. When everyone realised it was a fire, I got the hell out of there.’   
Newt nodded, but was skeptical.   
‘Could you see where the fire started?’ Newt asked.   
Gally shook his head.   
‘Nope, somewhere on the top floor I think.’   
‘What makes you think that?’   
Gally shrugged. ‘Don’t know. No reason.’  
Newt sighed again, deciding that he needed to go off script if he ever wanted to get anything out of Gally.   
'And how do you think the fire started?' He asked evenly.   
Gally's scowl deepened.   
'Why the hell would I know? Have those bloody slintheads been making stuff up? What have they been saying?' Gally stepped towards Newt menacingly.   
Newt struggled to contain a smile, noting Gally's defensive stance. This was evidence as far as he was concerned. Newt held up a hand signalling he was done talking to Gally.   
'That's all I needed to hear thanks Gally.' He said cheerfully, watching the colour creep up Gally's neck and a vein in his forhead begin to pulse. As Newt began to turn away, Gally called him back.   
‘Why are you asking these questions shank?’   
Newt turned to look at him, noticing the worry etched in Gally’s face.   
Newt didn't bother to answer, just turning back and continuing to walk away. 

Having interviewed all of the Glader’s with the exception of the runners and the injured, Newt and Thomas reconvened to discuss their findings. Newt decided the best place to meet would be in the small shack where the runner’s mapped the maze every afternoon. The boys entered the shack, but before Newt closed the door he couldn’t help but notice they were being watched from afar. He poked Thomas in front of him and Thomas spun around. Newt nodded his head towards their audience and Thomas’ face darkened. ‘I’m betting his interview didn’t go well?’ Thomas asked.   
‘No, you could say that.’ Newt replied, closing the door and blocking Gally’s watching eyes. 

Newt had barely closed the door when Thomas’ lips found his. He leaned into Thomas, kissing him roughly, letting all of the pain and worry seep out of him and found comfort in Thomas’ embrace. Eventually, Newt pulled away, leaving Thomas with swollen lips and dilated pupils. He knew that as much as he would like to do that all day, they had work to do. Thomas winked at him cheekily.   
‘I’ve been wanting to do that all day.’   
Newt laughed loudly, grabbing Thomas’ hand and dragging him towards one of the tables. The two boys hunched together, pulled out their lists of Glader’s and began to discuss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! So yes I am finally here with an update, sorry it took so long! I really just needed to get back into a good head space to write again but I'm so happy with where this fic is going! I hope you all enjoy!!


	17. Some Suspicious Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt, Thomas and Minho get to work trying to find the culprit behind the fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know I have been gone forever! I am in my final year at uni so life is absolutely crazy but I'm already writing the next chapter and I can tell you that there is a bit of Newtmas steam so get prepared! It's my apology for being gone so long. ;)

It wasn’t long before the two teens were joined by Minho, who, upon hearing the evidence, leapt up in an outrage.  
‘Gally did this!’ he cried, ‘You shuckin’ know it as sure as I do Newt, he deserves to be banished!’  
Newt sighed. ‘I know Minho, but we have no proof. Yeah everything points to Gally but we don’t have a buggin’ shred of evidence!’  
Minho paced back and forth furiously. Newt saw out of the corner of his eye Thomas sit up suddenly.  
‘What is it Tommy?’ Newt asked, swivelling to face him.  
‘I think we do have some evidence actually.’ Thomas replied, eyes alight with excitement. At this, even Minho stopped pacing.  
‘What do you mean Tommy?’ asked Newt, mind racing at a thought that seemed too good to be true.  
‘Well,’ said Thomas, looking from Minho to Newt, ‘I spoke to both Leo and Chuck today and they both said that Dave was looking for Gally urgently on the day of the fire, but no one had seen him.’  
Newt frowned, ‘That’s good, but it’s not enough. It’s not unusual for Gally to sleep outside, so that would explain why none of the boys had seen him.’  
This information didn’t seem to phase Thomas. ‘I know, but why would Dave have been looking for Gally in the homestead so urgently and so late at night?’  
The boys looked at each other with a glint hope in their eyes. ‘I guess we have to talk to Dave’.  
After a quick discussion, the three Gladers agreed that Gally’s suspicious behaviour was more than enough reason to call a gathering, but first they had to find Dave and they had to do it soon, before Gally had a chance to create an alibi. Newt stood up, reached for Thomas’ hand and began to lead him towards the door. At the door he wrapped an arm around Thomas’ shoulder and pressed a quick kiss to the side of his head before they exited into the public eye of the Glade. Minho made a gagging sound but Newt didn’t care. If Dave could provide evidence against Gally, Newt might just kiss Thomas in excitement in front of everyone. 

It didn’t take the boys long to find Dave, working as a slopper in the bloodshed. Newt couldn’t be sure, but he was almost positive that a look of fear crossed Dave’s face as the three Glader’s walked towards him.  
‘Dave.’ Newt said, curtly nodding at the younger boy.  
Dave looked up at Newt and then to Minho, with his eyes finally resting on Thomas.  
‘Thomas, your back soon, d-did you forget something?’ the boy said, his voice cracking unconvincingly.  
Thomas stayed quiet as Newt responded. ‘No Dave, we just had a few questions for you.’  
‘About Gally.’ Thomas added, looking at Newt for confirmation. Newt nodded.  
The younger boy’s eyes widened and he held up his hands, dropping his mop. ‘I swear I don’t know anything, we aren’t even friends, I barely know the guy!’  
A million thoughts were flying around Newt’s brain. This shank was acting suspicious, all Newt had to do was ask the right questions and he’d have his answers.  
‘Look,’ Newt said, clapping the Dave on the shoulder, ‘all we want to know is why you were looking for Gally on the night of the fire in the homestead. That’s all.’ He gave the boy a reassuring smile.  
Dave took a deep breath, as if he were about to speak, but then closed his mouth. Minho narrowed his eyes threateningly at the boy and the boy opened his mouth again.  
‘You aren’t going to banish me, are you?’ He whispered, his voice dropping. Newt was surprised, for a moment he’d forgotten that he was dealing with one of the younger boys in the Glade. 

‘Dave, just tell us what happened, I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, you know me. I’m not going to banish you!’ That was all Newt needed to say for Dave to open up.  
‘It wasn’t my fault at all!’ Dave exclaimed, ‘It was all Gally! He told me that he’d convince the council to banish me if I didn’t help him! I said that he couldn’t do that, so he threatened to throw me off the cliff!’  
Newt placed a hand on Dave’s shoulder, the boy was trembling.  
‘What did he need help with?’ Thomas asked, brow furrowing.  
‘I didn’t know he was going to light that fire, all he told me was that I needed to bring him matches as soon as the last person had finally gone to sleep.’  
‘Why would he ask you to do that?’ Minho asked, ‘he could have gotten them himself?’  
‘No,’ Newt answered for Dave, ‘he couldn’t have. He’s had limited access to all of our supplies ever since we found out he was trading them to the younger boys for favours.’  
Newt’s stomach was churning, a good picture was forming in his mind as to how this accident happened and it was making him feel ill. It was one thing to suspect the fire was lit on purpose, it was another to discover that it was the truth.

‘But that still doesn’t explained why he asked Dave? A slopper?’ Thomas persisted, ‘He doesn’t have access to matches either?’  
Dave shook his head, ‘No I don’t, but…’ He looked around fearfully and took a step closer to the older boys, lowering his voice, ‘Winston does.’  
Newt cocked an eyebrow, confused.  
‘Winston passed the matches to me and I passed them on to Gally, that’s why I was looking for Gally that night. I had the matches and didn’t want to be caught with them.’  
Thomas still wasn’t satisfied. ‘So why wouldn’t Winston just give Gally the matches?’ he pressed.  
Dave once again looked fearfully around the room, as if Winston would appear any minute. ‘Winston didn’t want to be seen with Gally, I didn’t know why at the time, but now I think it’s because he didn’t want to be seen with the suspect.’  
Newt nodded, that seemed likely enough. That was all the three boys needed to hear. They sent Dave off to Chuck, where Chuck could make sure neither Gally or Winston got to Dave. 

As soon as Dave was gone, Thomas turned excitedly to the two other boys. ‘This is it, we’ve got him!’ Even Minho looked hopeful.  
‘Yeah I think we might just have him,’ Newt said, clapping both boys on the shoulder. ‘Tommy I want you to follow Dave, make sure he doesn’t come into contact with anyone but Chuck.’ Thomas nodded and gave Newt’s hand a quick squeeze before jogging off in the direction that Dave had gone.  
‘What about me boss?’ joked Minho, finally looking a little more like his usual self.  
‘I think we need to start alerting the keepers that there is an emergency gathering tonight, we need to get this done. If all goes well we can have Gally banished tomorrow.’  
Minho shot him a thumbs up before beginning to walk in the direction of the gardens. He’d only walked a few steps before turning back to face Newt.  
‘I think Thomas is good for you.’ He said awkwardly, before continuing to walk away as a pink tinge appeared on his cheeks. Newt felt his face heat up but he couldn’t help but smiling. ‘Yeah Minho, he really is’ he thought to himself.


	18. Of Gardens and Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Thomas' relationship continues to develop.

After alerting as many keepers as he came across about the emergency gathering, Newt strode towards the homestead to check on progress.   
‘Hey Newt!’ Zart called waving. Newt made his way over.   
‘How’s the clearing going? Can we salvage anything?’ he asked the keeper.   
Zart shook his head, letting out a low whistle. ‘It’s amazing really, the amount of damage this thing has caused. Almost everything is absolutely destroyed. It’s unbelievable’   
Newt looked around and saw that Zart was right. The Gladers had begun to work through the rubble left behind after the fire, a large pile of unsalvageable materials already sitting to the side of the rubble. Almost all of it was charred and burnt beyond recognition. Newt shook his head in disbelief, before placing his hand on Zart’s shoulder.   
“We’ll get to the bottom of this.” He reassured him, before continuing on his way past the gardens. 

He had almost completely bypassed the gardens when he felt a hand reach out and grab his arm, dragging him out of sight. Newt stumbled, losing his balance and landing with a thud on the hard ground. He groaned loudly and looked up as a shadow fell over him. Laying on his back he looked up and his eyes followed along a pair of legs that seemed to go on for miles. He smiled, despite the abruptness of their meeting.   
‘Hey Tommy.’   
Thomas folded his legs underneath him and joined Newt on the ground, as Newt made no moves to stand up.   
‘Shouldn’t you be with Dave?’ Newt asked, closing his eyes and making himself comfortable. He felt Thomas lay down next to him.   
‘Minho’s with him, he thinks Gally might come looking for him and seems to think he has a better shot at putting Gally in his place.’  
Newt snorted, amused. 

Neither teen said any more, settling into a comfortable silence. After several minutes, Newt jolted as he felt a hand softly creep across his stomach. He opened one eye, surveying Thomas cautiously. Thomas didn’t meet his gaze, instead letting his hand work its way up Newt’s stomach, and chest, tracing soft patterns underneath his shirt and against bare skin. Newt’s heart started beating fast. This was new territory and new territory felt good. Finally Thomas’ hand came to a stop at Newt’s cheek, where Thomas turned Newt’s head towards him before leaning down a locking lips.   
Newt reacted instantly, turning onto his side to face Thomas without separating their lips. Thomas’ hand ran back down the length of his torso, coming to rest on Newt’s hip. Newt’s own hands reached towards Thomas, one winding its way through the other boys dark hair and the other clutching at his back. Newt revelled in the feeling of Thomas’ body against his, his lips on his own, surprisingly softer than he would have expected. He pushed further against Thomas, smiling when Thomas let out a small moan. Thomas pushed back and Newt found himself on his back with Thomas straddling his hips. Thomas broke the kiss, smirking down at him.   
‘About time we did this.’ He said.   
Newt nodded frantically, reaching up and pulling Thomas’ lips back down to his own. 

The two continued to kiss fiercely and it wasn’t long before Newt felt a tell-tale hardness pressed against him. He broke away in shock, looking at Thomas uncertainly, but only for a moment. Thomas raised his eyebrows at him and grinned cheekily, that was all it took for Newt to grab Thomas around the back of the neck and drag him back down, bucking his own hips up to meet Thomas’. Thomas’ hands sunk into the grass on either side of Newt’s head and Newt ran his hands down Thomas’ body to clutch at the back of his thighs. Thomas pressed closer and trailed small kisses along Newt’s jaw and down his neck. 

Newt smiled to himself, finally feeling as though everything was okay, as though all that had changed in the past week didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was that he and Thomas were okay. Thomas dragged his lips back to Newt’s and Newt slipped his hands underneath Thomas’ shirt and began to drag it upwards as his hands trailed up Thomas’ side. Thomas got the message and sat up on Newt’s hips to pull his own shirt off. He reached back down to help Newt with his own and it wasn’t long before they were pressed back against each other, bare chest against bare chest. 

Neither boy pushed for more, perfectly content with bare skin to roam and litter with kisses. They kissed for what felt like hours, but couldn’t possibly have been because when Thomas finally rolled off Newt, breathless and flushed, the sounds of the Glader’s work day continuing filled their ears. 

Newt lay on his back, unable to keep a sly smirk off his face. He felt Thomas look at him and he turned to meet his gaze, giving the brunette a cheeky wink. Thomas broke out into a loud laugh before rolling over and throwing an arm over Newt’s bare chest. Newt responded by wrapping his arms around the other boy and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Neither spoke, instead just laying in silence, pretending as though they weren’t trapped in this maze that was slowly beginning to fall apart.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any rights to any of the characters or the story, the story written here is based off the work of James Dashner, this is a fan fic piece only. It has non-canonical relationships- Newt/Thomas  
> First 10 Chapters originally posted on Wattpad.
> 
> Hey y'all! I really hope you enjoy! Please leave kudos or comments if you enjoyed it so that I know I'm doing something right! Thank you so much for reading!  
> This story is rated M as a precaution!


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